MP for Bury St Edmunds Jo Churchill met Health Secretary Steve Barclay to discuss the new West Suffolk Hospital build

MP Jo Churchill said the new West Suffolk Hospital will be built by 2030, despite the Health Secretary acknowledging last week that some of the new hospitals promised nationally would not be finished by that date.

Last week the Health Secretary Steve Barclay visited the current West Suffolk Hospital site where he met with Jo Churchill MP for Bury St Edmunds and James Cartlidge, MP for south Suffolk.

On Sunday Mr Barclay told the BBC: “We are being honest that some schemes will take slightly longer than 2030 but we're going to get on with them.”

However Mrs Churchill said that the new West Suffolk Hospital project is at the front of the queue.

A spokesperson for the West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WSNFT), which runs the hospital in Bury St Edmunds, confirmed the building project is one of the priority schemes within the national programme.

This means there is a clear commitment to complete the construction of the new West Suffolk Hospital by 2030.

A planning application for the hospital build on the Hardwick Manor site was approved at the end of last year.

Mrs Churchill said: “Since 2015, I have championed our need for a new hospital. We know we need it, we know patients and staff deserve it, now I am keen we get on and build it.

“I have pushed, as people have asked, to make sure we are front of the queue and our case has been recognised. I am incredibly proud of what we have done together so far.

“Much of the preparation work has been done and I hope we will begin to see contractors being appointed and ground breaking within months.”

Mrs Churchill continued: “This 21st century build will be an exemplar blueprint hospital under the Hospital 2.0 programme, for others to follow.”

“We are the first to use this new approach to building hospitals for our communities and look forward to leading the way.

“This development will transform healthcare provision at the centre of our growing town and beyond.

“I hope by this time next year, we will see the start of buildings on our new site.”

Gary Norgate, future system programme director for WSNFT said: “Following the recent announcement, we are thrilled to be able to secure our plans for a new hospital, which is so vital for our staff, patients and community.

“This is a once in a lifetime project and we genuinely want to continue working with those who this will impact the most.

“I urge people to get involved and join us on the journey to bring this new hospital to fruition – our new home for future generations of patients and our workforce of today and tomorrow.”

West Suffolk Hospital is one of seven major hospitals in England known to be affected by a lightweight concrete called autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The concrete has a limited lifespan meaning as it deteriorates it can cause structural problems.