King's Lynn: Replacement hospital will be built by 2030

The QEH, which needs more than 3,000 props and supports to prevent its roof from collapsing, was finally added to the government's new hospitals programme in May after two years of false dawns and postponed announcements.

From left, NHS England chair Richard Meddings, North West Norfolk MP James Wild, Lord Nick Markham, Queen Elizabeth Hospital chair Chris Laurence and Alice Webster, chief executive of the hospital (Image: Chris Bishop)

Lord Nick Markham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care visited the QEH on Wednesday to discuss the £862m rebuild.

He told an invited audience including managers, staff, NHS officials and patient representatives the new facility would be built to the so-called Hospital 2.0 model.

That means it will be constructed using "modern methods" - with pre-fabricated parts made off-site, ready to be assembled in Lynn.

Some of the thousands of supports holding up the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn (Image: Chris Bishop)

"What we're trying to do is put all the effort into the design now so we have a standardised approach," he said after the meeting.

"Whilst this hospital has only recently come into the programme, we have been designing these hospitals for the last two or three years."

Lord Markham said the standardised design would enable hospitals to be built quickly from sections brought onto site.

Lord Nick Markham, who is leading the government's new hospitals programme, with a model of the proposed replacement for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn (Image: Chris Bishop)

He said Everton Football Club's new stadium in Liverpool, which is due to open next year, is being built using similar methods and has an expected lifespan of 100 years.

The current QEH was also built using pre-fabricated components, including aerated concrete planks with a 30-year lifespan, which are now failing four decades after it opened.

Its roof needs £90m of remedial work to support it, while experts say the building will still be unsafe to use after 2030.  

Lord Markham with a graphic showing how the newly-designed hospitals can be built quickly and easily modified if needed at a later date (Image: Chris Bishop)

But Lord Markham said lessons had been learned from the experience of using so-called RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in the NHS.

Of the new hospitals, he added: "They will be like any brick building, they will be properly built to last."

Discussions are now under way regarding how much larger the new hospital needs to be to take into account the growth of the community the 500-bed QEH serves since it opened in the early 1980s and future demands and healthcare needs.

Lord Markham meets hospital staff during his visit to King's Lynn (Image: QEH)

Unlike the current hospital, the Hospital 2.0 models will be designed to be easily extended using the same modular components, meaning extra wards or floors can easily be added if extra space is needed.

North West Norfolk MP James Wild, who has lobbied for a new hospital since he was elected in 2019, said after the meeting: “We had the opportunity to share our ideas of Hospital 2.0 and importantly hear from staff and patient representatives about their ideas and vision for a new hospital.

Lord Markham sees remedial work under way to support the roof of a ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Image: QEH)

“This is a really important and collaborative project, and one which I am very excited to see move forward into next stage.”

Richard Meddings, chair of NHS England, said: "Today has been a truly excellent visit and a fantastic opportunity to meet staff, patients, governors and friends of the Trust to discuss the exciting plans for the construction of a new hospital in King’s Lynn."

Staff celebrate the news the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be replaced after the announcement in May (Image: Chris Bishop)

READ MORE: Behind the scenes at Britain's most dilapidated hospital

The replacement will be built on what is currently the hospital's main car park, which will be replaced by a new multi-storey car park to make way for the new hospital.

A model of the new hospital, which will be built on the QEH's current main car park (Image: Chris Bishop)

Work is expected to start on the new hospital in 2025.

How you can find out more

Public meetings are taking place this month, where people can find out more about the project. They are being held at:

• Knights Hill Hotel, in King's Lynn, on Monday, August 21 (6 - 7.30pm);
• Oasis Community Centre, in Wisbech, on Wednesday, August 23 (6 - 7.30PM);
• Princess Theatre, in Hunstanton, on Wednesday, August 30 (6 - 7.30pm);
• Downham Market Town Hall on Thursday, August 31 (6 - 7.30pm).