Bid in for £663m Crewe hospital rebuild

A bid has been submitted for funding for a £663m redevelopment of Leighton Hospital in Crewe.The Mid Cheshire NHS Foundation Trust wants to replace the current ageing hospital and has submitted a bid for funding was to the Department of Health & Social CareLeighton Hospital was built in the 1970s and the type of materials used has resulted in significant spending to resolve safety risks, primarily the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels in the roof and wallsThere have been numerous failures of this type of panel. The Building Research Establishment was prompted to issue guidance in 1996 (BRE Information Paper IP 10/96 – Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete planks designed before 1980) and the Standing Committee on Structural Safety put out an alert more recently in 2019.Mid Cheshire Trust said that independent analysis had shown the projected new build cost of £663m to be around £100m cheaper than the continued refurbishment of Leighton over the next 15 years.A final decision on the funding bid, via the government’s New Hospital Programme, is expected by next spring.