£1bn of local hospitals to come via LIFT

Health minister John Reid has pledged a new generation of community hospitals to be delivered under the NHS LIFT initiative.

The programme is expected to kick off early next year with a first tranche of 50 hospitals, worth an estimated £1bn.

The community hospitals were announced by Reid at the weekend as part of the Labour Party’s election campaign.

Reid said: “Through an initial £100m investment, we will build, rebuild or refurbish 50 new community hospitals in the next Parliament. Because community hospitals will be smaller, they can be sited closer to where people live and work. They will also reflect the latest standards of design and layout,” he added.

Partnerships for Health chief executive Brian Johns said: “Partnerships for Health believes the LIFT model has room to provide more services in existing and new areas.”

Richard Weston, managing director of Equion, which has six LIFT contracts, said: “The concept of delivering community hospitals via LIFT is right and should provide a cost-effective procurement route, saving cost and time and getting a good value for money product in the community quickly.”