King's Lynn: Could QEH be fast-tracked for replacement?

The long-awaited announcement over whether the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn will be given funding for a £862m rebuild is now expected after the local elections on May 4.

The 500-bed QEH was built in the 1970s from so-called RAAC - reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - planks, with an expected life of 30 years.

It is still in use after more than 40 years, with 3,500 props in place to prevent its roof from collapsing.

A model of the proposed new hospital which would replace the QEH (Image: Chris Bishop)

But reports by senior officials paint a hopeful picture to the hospital's management board as councillors get set to agree planning permission for the first phase of the new build.

Chris Lawrence, chair of the NHS trust which runs the QEH, said: "It is very disappointing, and somewhat frustrating, that the long-anticipated announcement on the new hospital programme has not yet materialised from the Department of Health and Social Care.

"We remain very hopeful that the QEH, as one of five hospitals impacted by RAAC not yet on the new hospital programme, will be named as being incorporated into the programme and that we will get fast-tracked funding to enable us to take forward plans for a new Queen Elizabeth Hospital – a building fit for purpose and fit for the best in 21st century healthcare."

Alice Webster, chief executive of the QEH (Image: QEH)

A report in the papers for the same hospital board meeting from Alice Webster, the QEH's new chief executive, states: "As alluded to in the chair’s report, our wait goes on.

"However, I remain confident that good news will be on the horizon, particularly as we have put forward such a robust case and can clearly demonstrate we are investment ready."

NHS England has set a deadline of 2030 for the removal of RAAC from its estate. But ministers have declined to say whether this means the QEH will be replaced.