A decision on whether a crumbling Norfolk hospital will be rebuilt is expected by the end of the year, NHS chiefs have said.
More than a year after the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King's Lynn applied to be one of eight new builds to be included in the government's new hospitals programme, a decision is still awaited.
The roof of the entire hospital is being supported to prevent it collapsing, as concrete planks still in place more than a decade after the end of their expected working lifespan begin to sag and fail.
Some 3,000 props are now in place to shore up the ceiling.
On Thursday (November 3), North West Norfolk MP James Wild quizzed NHS chiefs at Westminster about when a decision will be made over rebuilding the hospital.
Speaking at the public accounts committee, the Conservative MP said: "The decisions on the eight new schemes were originally due in the spring. We're now in November.
"When will a decision be made? When will there be certainty for the staff, patients, constituents across Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire who rely on that hospitals and who, when they go in there, see 3,000 steel and timber supports holding up the roof?"
Matthew Style, director general for NHS Policy and Performance, said: "We expect decisions about the final eight, as it were, to be announced later this year."
Mr Wild asked Amanda Pritchard, NHS England's chief executive, what message she had for staff at the QEH and if she was making the case for the scheme to be backed.
She said she understood the importance of a solution to those hospitals which were suffering from structural problems and said they had been given short-term help to understand the risks.
Pressed further by Mr Wild as to whether she was making the case for the QEH rebuild to be a priority scheme, Ms Pritchard said: "A solution to the RAAC [reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete] hospitals is an absolute priority."
Afterwards, Mr Wild tweeted: "Given the delays, I’m frustrated and will keep campaigning."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here