Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it is his policy to ensure the development of the Futurefit scheme at Shropshire and Telford Hospital NHS Trust sites.

We continue to support Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to progress the Shropshire Future Fit scheme.

As with any capital investment there is a necessary process of assurance to ensure the outcome is as intended i.e. it transforms services for the benefit of patients, as well as providing value for money for taxpayers. This process is led by the Trust, with funding usually provided when the Full Business Case has been approved. However, funding may be provided prior to this where appropriate to speed up delivery overall.

Recent improvements have been introduced to support projects centrally, for example a streamlined business case process with joint central approvals. In addition, our work on hospital design standards also provides a stronger approach to project delivery, to ensure that funding is reaching the frontline as soon and efficiently as possible.