Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new hospitals have commenced construction since the beginning of this Parliament.

There are five schemes currently under construction. Three schemes have completed construction with two already open to patients, and one due to open in the coming weeks. Since this Parliamentary session opened on 10 May 2022, one New Hospital Programme scheme has started construction. This is the scheme at Oriel Eye Hospital for Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. One further scheme for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the National Rehabilitation Centre is due to commence construction shortly.

21 sites in the programme have secured either full or outline planning permission, and we continue to work with trusts on opportunities to carry out works to prepare the sites in advance of main construction beginning.