Could North Manchester General hopes go south?

Health reporter Helena Vesty and and politics reporter Joseph Timan examine Chancellor Rachel Reeves' announcement to 'completely review' the plans to build 40 new hospitals, promised by Boris Johnson. Those plans include the multi-million pound overhaul of the crumbling North Manchester General Hospital - could it be called off after years of desperate pleas for a rebuild?

- Helena Vesty , Joseph Timan

NORTH Manchester General Hospital has spent years anticipating a rebuild after it was promised to be one of the '40 new hospitals' programme pledged by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

That pledge made ahead of the 2019 general election has been mired in controversy ever since.

Yesterday, yet another shadow was cast over the fate of North Manchester General, and other hospitals expecting funding, when new Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that a 'complete review' of the new hospitals programme.

But sources close to the multi-million pound North Manchester project say they are quietly confident about the hospital rebuild going ahead not least planning for the rebuild has been ongoing for years, and preliminary work has been under way since at least 2022.

A brand new car park is now up and running to serve the needs of the construction and a new influx of patients as capacity expands with the rebuild. Fences now one ΟΙ Crumpsall site, roping off a section for contractors which have been on site. And multiple parts of the hospital have been moved around and reorganised to make way for demolitions and rebuilds.

On Monday, the Chancellor set out a series of spending cuts, accusing the Conservatives of 'covering up' a £22bn black hole in the public finances. This included 'a complete review' of the plans to build 40 new hospitals.