Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In May 2023, we revealed the Trust received the green light for a state-of-the-art new build following the announcement by the then Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Stephen Barclay, that Leighton Hospital has been included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme. 

As part of this programme, Leighton Hospital is being reimagined and new land has been secured to build without the barriers of what’s been before. 

We are working together to create a new healthcare model — to create a place where people receive care in their homes and communities and can access services or go to hospital when they need to. 

It will be a place where resources are utilised well, and people are actively involved in their care. A place where technology, digital and data will help both proactive and personalised care be more effective, a place where we look after each other, we collaborate, where people join forces to improve the whole. 

A place of 'Healthier Futures' for our people across Mid Cheshire.

Leighton Hospital was built in the 1970s using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) planks in the roof and walls. RAAC is a lightweight, bubbly form of concrete that was often used in schools, colleges, and hospitals from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. RAAC has a lifespan of 30 years and Leighton Hospital is now 50 years old. As a result, Leighton Hospital is no longer fit for purpose.

Additionally, our society is changing. With an aging population, a higher number or people living with long-term conditions, and increasingly diverse communities, there is a rising demand for healthcare. It’s clear the way healthcare is delivered must change. Not only to respond to the needs of today but be fit for the future of tomorrow.

The development of our new hospital is a major project that will impact hundreds of thousands of people in this region. It is crucial that we collaborate with a host of national and local partners. This is why are working together to create a new healthcare model — to create a place where people receive care in their homes and communities and can access services or go to hospital when they need to

As a national level, we are liaising with the government’s New Hospital Programme team. 

Locally, we are engaging with partners including Cheshire and Merseyside ICB, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire East Council, GPs and primary care networks, Healthwatch Cheshire West, Healthwatch Cheshire East, and local MPs. We are also engaging with various community groups, business groups, charities, and voluntary organisations.

We are aware of the government’s announcement around a review of the New Hospital Programme to develop a realistic and costed timetable for delivery. We will be working with the national New Hospital Programme team to understand the details and what it means for our own plans.

As a RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) scheme, this development is being prioritised for delivery. The next stage in the planning of our new hospital is the Outline Business Case (OBC). The OBC assesses the best option for delivering the strategic objectives and benefits within the resource envelope available. This will be submitted to the New Hospital Programme team in summer 2025.

It is recognised that there is a need for regular and reliable bus services to and from the hospital. We will continue to work with the local authority with the aim of securing improvements in the service. We will keep you up-to-date with these discussions.

We want to empower our patients to manage their health and illness where possible and to be cared for at home, where it is safe and appropriate. This is why we will always listen to our communities to understand their changing needs. There is an ongoing process to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders and partners, including staff, patients, service users, community group. We will publish details ahead of any events or opportunities where your involvement and participation are sought.

We have an ongoing process of involving the Trust’s staff, though the likes of workshops, engagement sessions, briefings, and updates via our internal communications sessions. Among the recent sessions, we hosted design engagement events, which, along with future sessions, will help shape the 1:500 scale drawings for the new site. This dialogue will continue through to the spring of 2025, by which time the detailed design for our new hospital will start to emerge.

It will be built on land immediately to the north of the current site. This land, along with additional land to the east and south of the site, was purchased earlier in 2024.

We aim for the hospital due to go live in late 2029. This is a challenging deadline and is in part due to the Department of Health issuing instructions requiring the removal of RAAC planks by 2030.

Our programme team has now begun work on the Outline Business Case (OBC). The OBC assesses the best option for delivering the strategic objectives and benefits within the resource envelope available. This will be submitted to the national New Hospital Programme team in July 2025.

An outline planning application will be submitted to Cheshire East Council in December 2024, with a decision expected in spring 2025.

The Full Business Case (FBC) will be submitted in summer 2026 and provides the detailed designs, final value for money evidence, and detailed arrangements for construction and handover of the new hospital.

Following this, construction work on site will begin in late-2026, with completion scheduled for mid-2029, and the hospital go-live is late-2029.

There will be approximately 600 beds, which will be an increase on the 550 beds currently at Leighton Hospital.

The new hospital will be approximately 90,000sq m, which is slightly larger than the current site, and it will be built over five storeys with an additional plant room.

An outline planning application will be submitted to Cheshire East Council in December 2024 with a decision on this outline application hopefully being made in May 2025.

We plan to retain around 6,000sq m of the current estate, including the A&E building and our current ward decant capacity. Both areas will be refurbished for different use.

The Trust does not intend to move any existing community services to the new site. Current services will continue to be provided to communities as they are now.

The new hospital will be a place where resources are utilised well, and people are actively involved in their care. A place where technology, digital and data will help both proactive and personalised care be more effective. We will also reduce time wasted in additional process and workarounds to give us more time to spend caring for and supporting our patients.

The development of the new hospital will follow a national Hospital 2.0 design approach.

This is an innovative and efficient method of building new hospitals, which will transform the way healthcare infrastructure is delivered for the NHS.

Hospital 2.0 is a standardised design for future hospitals that will benefit patients and staff through digital solutions and optimised hospital layout. It will decrease the average time to develop and build hospitals, as well as reduce costs.

A considerable amount of planning and preparation work has been undertaken or is currently under way.

We have submitted a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) to the national New Hospital Programme team. The SOC is the initial business case for the development of the new hospital. The plan outlines the locally agreed strategic direction to develop the site.

We have also appointed an architect to design the new hospital. Ryder will be the lead design team responsible for delivering stages two and three of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Plan of Work. This model outlines how a construction project should be organised, from start to finish. 

Due to the sheer size and scale of this programme, we have also appointed the full range of key professional advisors to support the delivery of the healthier futures programme.

The programme office will share progress on the development of the design of the new hospital as this progresses.