Residents are frustrated as the new Sutton hospital won’t start until 2032, leaving crumbling facilities in place for years to come
Sutton: The people in Surrey and south-west London are feeling let down again. The Labour Government just announced more delays for the new hospital in Sutton. Local MPs have called the current hospitals “crumbling” and “not fit for 21st-century healthcare.”
On January 20, Health Secretary Wes Streeting shared that construction won’t start until 2032 at the earliest. This puts the new hospital in ‘wave two’ of the New Hospital Programme.
Streeting pointed fingers at the previous Conservative government for leaving behind an “unfunded and undeliverable” plan. Now, the new government is trying to fix the timeline for these hospital projects.
The Sutton hospital was promised £500 million back in 2019. But now, estimates say it could cost between £1.5 billion and £2 billion. That’s a huge jump!
Dr. James Marsh, from St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, expressed frustration. He said, “After decades of false promises, we’ve been let down again.”
He warned that some buildings might soon be unsafe for patients. They’ve already had to demolish one ward. It’s a serious situation.
Most of the buildings at Epsom and St Helier are over a century old. Staff are dealing with damp, mould, and leaks. It’s not a good environment for anyone.
MP Luke Taylor said the people of Sutton are understandably exasperated. He urged the government to speed up the process. “We cannot go on like this,” he said.
Recently, flooding forced the blood department to close, leading to last-minute cancellations for patients. It’s just one more example of the poor state of the facilities.
In August 2024, another MP described the buildings as “crumbling” and “not fit for 21st-century healthcare.”
The Epsom and St Helier hospitals serve over 490,000 people. They provide a wide range of services, but the current state of the buildings is a major concern.
