Next phase of hospital's £1.5bn rebuild revealed

A new outpatient centre is to be the first project delivered in a £1.5bn rebuild of a city's hospital.

Mark Cubbon, chief executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said work on the first phase of the new North Manchester General Hospital (NMGH), is set to begin next year.

Greater Manchester's largest ever NHS capital programme is part of the wider Victoria North regeneration scheme, which will create 15,000 new homes in the area.

Prof Matt Makin, interim joint chief medical fficer for MFT, welcomed the announcement of the plans, saying that the future hospital would "revolutionise healthcare".

Cubbon called the development "incredibly exciting not just for our patients but for our teams, too - they provide some incredible care from facilities which were designed for healthcare practices which are now many decades old".

Makin, who has worked at North Manchester General Hospital for 10 years, said: "Our new hospital is about much more than just creating a state-of-the-art building with single rooms for every patient – it will enable us to revolutionise healthcare with a digitally led hospital, which brings cutting-edge innovations and technologies to our patients."

Councillor Thomas Robinson, Manchester City Council's executive member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care, called it "one of the most ambitious regeneration programmes in the country".

His colleague, councillor Garry Bridges, the council's deputy leader added: "The redevelopment of North Manchester General Hospital is a cornerstone of a broader vision and long-term commitment to North Manchester that we and our partners have consistently championed at a national and city level."

The current North Manchester General Hospital serves communities across North Manchester as well as neighbouring Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, providing specialist and acute services to hundreds of thousands of people.

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