White elephant or anchor institution? It’s time for a debate on the future hospital
The government has pledged to build 40 hospitals. Now is the moment to consider what sort of future we want for our healthcare
Photo: Richard Wayman / Alamy Stock Photo
The government’s “biggest in a generation” pledge to build 40 new hospitals was a centrepiece of its 2019 election campaign even when the claim came under fierce scrutiny. Before the events of 2020, the government had discerned the public appetite for better healthcare facilities.
Boris Johnson’s administration is now planning to turn its campaign slogan into a reality and so the public, policymakers and healthcare professionals alike should consider what exactly we want to achieve from the most significant hospital investment in two decades. Spending the money is (relatively) easy. Transforming our health infrastructure is harder.
Lord Ajay Kakkar hopes this year’s Wolfson Economics Prize can kickstart a national conversation about the future of hospital building after government pledged £3.7bn towards the construction of 40 new hospitals.
The competition – organised by free markets think-tank Policy Exchange and the Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust – asks participants to consider how new