Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of current capital funding budget will be allocated towards the expansion of the surgical hub programme.

The Government is increasing the Department’s capital budgets to over £14.6 billion by the end of the Spending Review period for 2029/30, to invest into the National Health Service and wider health infrastructure, including elective care. This will deliver the largest ever health capital budget, representing a more than 20% real terms increase by the end of the Spending Review period.

We are investing £6 billion of capital over five years for diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £1.65 billion in 2025/26 for investments aimed at improving NHS secondary and emergency care performance against constitutional standards, £330 million of which has been indicatively allocated for elective care. This funding includes the expansion or creation of surgical or elective hubs.

Regional indicative capital allocations for 2026/27 to 2029/30, including elective care, will be published imminently following publication of the NHS capital planning guidance for 2026/27 to 2029/30. These regional allocations will form the basis for integrated care board and provider planning.