Government approves major funding for state-of-the-art Leighton Hospital facility

Patients in Crewe are set to benefit from a new, state-of-the-art hospital after the Department of Health and Social Care rubber-stamped hundreds of millions of pounds of funding to redevelop the Leighton Hospital site.

In a letter to local NHS leaders, Health Minister Karin Smyth confirmed funding available for schemes in the first wave of the New Hospital Programme, including Leighton Hospital, and now patients will benefit from a rebuild of the facility to replace buildings containing RAAC.

The new hospital will be built using modern design techniques for maximum efficiency, making the best use of taxpayers’ money to improve patient care across Crewe and surrounding areas.    Building an NHS estate that is fit for the future is key to the government’s Plan for Change that will get the health service back on its feet and see waiting times slashed.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting said: "Patients have endured years of broken promises, so I’m delighted this government is getting work underway on a world-class hospital development at Crewe.

“This is a significant moment for patients and healthcare in the region. We are committed to delivering the modern facilities our NHS needs to provide the highest quality care.

"This investment - worth hundreds of millions of pounds - shows our determination to transform the crumbling NHS infrastructure we inherited and create a healthcare system fit for the future through our Plan for Change."

Charlotte Taylor of the New Hospital Programme said:

“This marks a significant milestone for Leighton Hospital and the community it serves. It provides the financial certainty to move ahead with confidence and we will continue working closely with the Trust to deliver a modern hospital that meets the needs of patients and staff for decades to come.”

Russ Favager, the Trust’s Board Senior Responsible Officer for Leighton New Hospital Programme and Estates Redevelopment, said:

"We welcome the government’s continued support for our scheme to build a new Leighton Hospital.

“This follows the government’s announcement in January that our new hospital programme would be included in the ‘Wave 1’ schemes.

“This means the people of mid Cheshire and beyond can rest assured that we are not slowing down.

“Our priority going forward is to secure approval of our Strategic Outline Case as swiftly as possible and then moving forward to work with our colleagues at the national New Hospital Programme to develop our Outline Business Case (OBC), which we hope to submit in spring 2026.

“Also planned for 2025 are a series of public planning consultation events as part of a hybrid planning application, which will be submitted to Cheshire East Council in the summer.

“The development of our health and care neighbourhood, including the new Leighton Hospital, is one of the biggest infrastructure projects seen in Cheshire for many years, but we recognise it will only be achieved by us working with partners at local, regional and national level.

“We are wholly committed to keeping people fully up-to-date and engaged with our plans, so I look forward to sharing further details with our communities, partners, and stakeholders, throughout this year.”

The Crewe development is part of the New Hospital Programme, which is backed with up to £15 billion of new investment over consecutive five-year waves, averaging £3 billion a year. It is just one part of the government's wider commitment to transforming the NHS estate.

Over £1 billion has also been set aside to make inroads into the existing backlog of critical maintenance, repairs and upgrades, while £102 million has been dedicated for improvements to GP surgeries across England as a first step towards transforming the primary care estate.

The project is expected to move into the next stage of delivery with work scheduled to begin in 2027-2028.