The Scottish Government has ruled out new hospital construction projects until 2026 at the earliest, a key figure has claimed.
NHS Lothian finance director Craig Marriott said ministers north of the border had told local health chiefs that they would be waiting “at least” two years for new capital investment.
In a budget unveiled just days before Christmas, the Scottish Government increased funding for NHS boards by 4 per cent to £13.2bn in 2024/25.
“Our continued support of primary and community care will improve preventative care, and ensure that people are cared for in the right place at the right time,” said ministers.
But Marriott said this week: “New construction projects are dependent on approval and funding from the Scottish Government.
“Following the Budget announcement in December, the Scottish Government advised NHS boards to immediately stop any project development spend, as the Scottish Government does not anticipate starting construction of any new capital projects over the next two years at least.
“Staff and partners are being made aware of the current picture and will be kept updated.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “As set out in our draft budget, the capital funding position is extremely challenging. The UK government did not inflation-proof its capital budget, which has resulted in nearly a 10 per cent real-terms cut in the Scottish Government’s capital funding between 2023-24 and 2027-28.
“Our emphasis for the immediate future will therefore be on addressing backlog maintenance and essential equipment replacement.
“We will bring forward a revised Infrastructure Investment Plan in the spring, alongside the medium-term financial strategy, at which point we would hope that the fiscal outlook will be clearer.”
A number of major hospital jobs are planned in Scotland. Laing O’Rourke has been named as the preferred construction partner for the £700m Monklands Replacement Project in Lanarkshire, while Balfour Beatty won a contract with NHS Highland for two projects in Caithness worth a combined £160m.
It is unclear as to whether funding or timescales for these schemes are affected. NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Highland have been approached for comment.