A Somerset MP has urged the government to commit to upgrading Musgrove Park Hospital after a letter from the health secretary suggested the programme’s future was “at risk”.

Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton was one of 40 hospitals which were to be rebuilt, enhanced or replaced as part of the new hospitals programme (NHP) instituted by Boris Johnson’s government in October 2020.

The new Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves MP announced on July 29 that the NHP would be extensively reviewed in a bid to control public spending, accusing the previous Conservative administration of giving people “false hope” about their public services.

Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, spoke out after the chancellor’s announcement, vowing to fight for continued improvements to the hospital (including a new maternity unit).

He has now been joined in this fight by fellow Lib Dem MP Sarah Dyke, who has urged the government to fund the improvements to delivery as part of its first budget on October 30.

Health secretary Wes Streeting MP wrote to all MPs whose local hospitals were impacted by the government’s review on September 20.

He said: “This government is fully committed to an NHS estate that is fit for the future.

“However, from our first weeks in office, it was clear that the NHP was
undeliverable, unaffordable, and estimated costs had risen by billions.

“Combined with the incredibly challenging fiscal inheritance that the chancellor set out in her statement on July 29, it has become clear that the challenges facing the NHP, and the wider public finances, are much more severe than we were aware.

“This government wants to see the NHP completed, but we are not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities they deserve.

“We must reset the NHP to put it on a sustainable footing. For this reason, I requested an urgent internal review of all hospitals in the NHP.”

The review is being carried out jointly by the Treasury, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England, with its findings expected shortly before the budget.

The review will not include hospitals which already have final business case approval – such as Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester – or seven hospitals which contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which are being prioritised for replacement to protect public safety.

Mr Streeting said: “While the review is taking place, all schemes within the NHP will be supported to continue to make progress.

“I will carefully consider the findings of the review to provide a thorough, costed, and realistic time-line for delivery to ensure we can replace the crumbling hospital estate in England, and ensure staff and patients have access to the facilities they deserve.

“We understand that all MPs with a constituency interest will be keen to meet to discuss the outcome of the review and any impacts for constituents.

“We are considering the best way to take this forward when parliament returns after conference recess. Details for these meetings will be shared in due course.”

Construction recently began on a second multi-storey car park at Musgrove after planning permission was granted by Somerset Council in late-June.

This new car park is part of the conditions for the new £87m surgical centre, which is currently under construction.

But while this element received the backing of the Treasury in January 2021, other elements (such as the new maternity unit) do not yet have approval of their final business case.

Reports circulated during the recent Labour conference in Liverpool that Mrs Reeves could release more funding for capital projects such as the NHP in her budget by changing the way the government’s fiscal rules are calculated.

Ms Dyke represents the Glastonbury and Somerton constituency – a large section of which uses Musgrove as its main hospital for both emergency treatment and outpatient appointments.

This is set to increase as the NHS Somerset integrated care board (ICB) implements its decision to remove the hyper-acute stroke unit from Yeovil Hospital, with the most critical stroke patients being taken to Taunton or Dorchester for treatment.

Ms Dyke said: “The Conservatives ran our NHS into the ground, leaving patients and staff at risk in crumbling hospitals. That cannot be the same under this new government.

“Patients and health care workers here in Glastonbury and Somerton deserve better than to worry their local hospital won’t get the investment it so desperately needs.

“We Liberal Democrats are calling on the new government to ensure funding is available for our local health services.

“For years the Conservatives ignored the crisis in our health service, now we need to change that.”