The Department of Health & Social Care said that Natalie Forrest brought “a wealth of health, construction and project management experience” to her new role in charge of building works.
Natalie Forrest has worked in the NHS for more than 30 years, first as a registered nurse before moving into management.
Currently she is chief executive of Chase Farm Hospital in north London, where she led operational and clinical teams to rebuild the hospital, delivered to time, on budget and without interrupting services.
She also oversaw the conversion of the Excel London convention centre into the NHS Nightingale London field hospital last year.
Offically, her new job title is ‘senior responsible officer of the new hospital programme’. Unofficially she is being called 'the hospitals tsar'.
In her new role, Natalie Forrest is expected to deliver 48 new hospitals by 2030, with £3.7bn funding committed so far.
One of these has just received final approval – a £72.6m mental health facility for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust.
Final approval has also been secured on Salford Royal’s £67.4m new hospital building, and construction work is expected to begin soon. This will be home to a major trauma centre treating patients who have experienced life-changing or life-threatening injuries.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “I’m delighted to appoint Natalie into this role. She not only brings unrivalled experience in health management and nursing, but also the construction and project management knowledge that helped turn the Excel conference centre into a Nightingale Hospital in just nine days, as well as overseeing the rebuild of Chase Farm Hospital at pace.
“The New Hospital Programme – as part of our Health Infrastructure Plan – will transform the delivery of NHS healthcare infrastructure to build back better and will ensure our country has world-class healthcare facilities right across the country for decades to come.”
Natalie Forrest said: “I am determined to build trust in our national capability in planning and delivering hospitals, not just with health and construction stakeholders but with the staff and patients who will benefit from them on a daily basis. My goal will be to deliver these new hospitals cost-effectively and at speed, and to foster an ecosystem that owns, learns from and improves healthcare design.”
List of 40 hospitals
|
Scheme |
Site |
Region |
Trust |
Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
In build (4) |
1. Midland Metropolitan Hospital |
Midlands |
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust |
The new Midland Metropolitan hospital will bring together urgent care services from 3 hospitals across the region into one state-of-the-art site, promoting better patient safety and care while ensuring value for money. |
|
2. Cumberland Cancer Hospital |
North East & Yorkshire |
North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust |
To establish a modern oncology hospital with the equipment and facilities to comply with national service specifications, transforming cancer care services for patients across North Cumbria. |
|
|
3. Royal Liverpool Hospital |
North West |
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Development of a new hospital to replace the current Royal Liverpool University Hospital. |
|
|
4. 3Ts Hospital, Brighton |
South East |
Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust |
Three-phase building works to deliver a Regional Centre for Teaching, Trauma and Tertiary Care at Royal Sussex County Hospital |
|
|
Pending Final Approval (4) |
5. Moorfields Eye Hospital |
London |
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
A new eye care, research and education facility, Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. |
|
6. Northgate Hospital, Morpeth, Northumberland |
North East & Yorkshire |
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Northgate hospital to provide single integrated secure service centre of excellence, and the re-provision of Newcastle and Gateshead adult acute inpatient services at St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle. Reprovision of Children’s and Young People’s medium secure inpatient services to Ferndene, Prudhoe, Northumberland. |
|
|
7. Greater Manchester Major Trauma Hospital |
North West |
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust |
To provide an additional non-elective, high-acuity hospital to support Greater Manchester Major Trauma Service and the transfer of high-acuity surgery. |
|
|
8. Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre |
Midlands |
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust |
To build a national rehabilitation centre at Stanford Hall, near Loughborough. |
|
|
HIP 1 (6) |
9. Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow |
East of England |
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust |
A new integrated, high-tech healthcare campus to replace the aging Princess Alexandra Hospital. |
|
10. Watford General Hospital |
East of England |
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust |
Rebuilding Watford General, including women & children’s services. |
|
|
11. Whipps Cross University Hospital, North East London |
London |
Barts Health NHS Trust |
A new hospital at Whipps Cross, providing a range of patient services including emergency and maternity. |
|
|
12. Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals |
London |
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust |
A new major hospital for Epsom General Hospital and St Helier Hospital. |
|
|
13. University Hospitals of Leicester |
Midlands |
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust |
Rebuild at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield & new facilities at Leicester General. |
|
|
14. Leeds General Infirmary |
North East & Yorkshire |
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust |
Centralising children’s and adult services at LGI with pathology services at St James University Hospital. |
|
|
HIP 2 (25) |
15. West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds |
East of England |
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust |
To rebuild West Suffolk Hospital, replace poor estate and provide a better patient environment at West Suffolk Hospital |
|
16. East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust |
South East |
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust |
To provide a new hospital at Eastbourne; new medical wards and refurbishment at Conquest; new clinical building at Bexhill. |
|
|
17. Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading |
South East |
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Royal Berkshire to replace ageing estate to tackle significant critical backlog. |
|
|
18. Milton Keynes Hospital |
East of England |
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
To build a new women and children’s hospital at Milton Keynes hospital. |
|
|
19. The Hillingdon Hospital, North West London |
London |
Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Hillingdon Hospital to replace ageing estate to tackle significant critical backlog. |
|
|
20. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
South East |
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
New hospital at Basingstoke & North Hampshire Hospital and major refurbishment at Royal Hampshire Hospital in Winchester. |
|
|
21. St Ann’s Hospital, Dorset |
South West |
Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust |
New build on existing site for Child and Adult Mental Health Services in Dorset. |
|
|
22. North Manchester General Hospital |
North West |
Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of North Manchester General Hospital provide new healthcare facilities to replace poor estate and provide better patient environment. |
|
|
23. Dorchester Community Hospital, Dorset |
South West |
Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust |
New build of Dorchester Community Hospital on site and also to build new ED and ICU. Service model sees better integration of the DGH with GP and community services in a new hospital. |
|
|
24. Poole Community Hospital, Dorset |
South West |
Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Poole Community hospital with theatres and sterile services. Part of the ‘One Dorset Estate’ which links acute and community services to reduce pressure. |
|
|
25. North Devon District Hospital |
South West |
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust |
Rebuild of North Devon District Hospital to provide new healthcare facilities to replace ageing estate and enable the delivery of new models of care at. |
|
|
26. James Paget Hospital , Great Yarmouth |
East of England |
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of James Paget Hospital. |
|
|
27. Kettering General Hospital |
Midlands |
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Kettering General. Options being developed to move to a hot/cold configuration or a single site rebuild. |
|
|
28. Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham City Hospital |
Midlands |
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust |
Rebuild of both the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital sites. |
|
|
29. Royal Preston and Lancaster Royal Infirmary |
North West |
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay |
Planned replacement of Royal Preston and Lancaster Royal Infirmary, where subject to consultation either a single or two hospitals with appropriate re-provision of 3 community urgent care hubs and 3 out of hospital hubs will result. |
|
|
30. Bournemouth Community Hospital, Dorset |
South West |
Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Bournemouth Community Hospital |
|
|
31. Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton |
South West |
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Musgrove Park Hospital |
|
|
32. Torbay District General, Torquay |
South West |
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Torbay Hospital. New smaller acute ‘hot’ hospital, a ‘cold’ elective centre and monies for a collaborative North East South elective centre all underpinned by an EPR system and technology enabled care. |
|
|
33. Addenbrookes Cancer hospital |
East of England |
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
New cancer hospital at Addenbrookes |
|
|
34. Royal United Bath Hospital |
South West |
Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust |
A new Cancer Hospital, completing a programme of phased capital work at the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) which has specifically aimed to deliver a new Cancer Hospital, reduce critical areas of organisational risk and improve the quality of the environment for service delivery across the northern part of the Combe Park estate |
|
|
35. Cornwall Children’s Hospital |
South West |
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust |
New Women’s and Children’s Hospital in the centre of the Royal Cornwall Hospital site in Truro. |
|
|
36. Derriford Emergency Care Hospital |
South West |
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust |
A new integrated emergency care hospital, bringing all urgent care into one emergency care hospital, with dedicated areas for children and frail patients. |
|
|
37. St Mary’s Hospital, London |
London |
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust |
Rebuild of St Mary’s Paddington |
|
|
38. Charing Cross Hospital, London |
London |
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust |
Rebuild of Hammersmith Hospital, new clinical academic redevelopment near ICL White City Campus, co-located with Imperial College biomedical campus at White City. Major floor-by-floor refurbishment of Charing Cross. |
|
|
39. Christchurch Community hospital, Dorset |
South West |
Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust |
Rebuild of Christchurch Community hospital, Implementing. Consolidating services into new community hubs, with associated investment in DGH and mental health care. |
|
|
1 additional |
40. Shotley Bridge Hospital, Durham |
North East & Yorkshire |
County Durham |
New hospital including inpatient beds, with unscheduled care, outpatient activity, chemotherapy and diagnostics to replace the existing Shotley Bridge Hospital. |
|
Open competition |
Competition to find 8 further new schemes |
Various |
Various |
Competition for 8 further hospitals including new Mental Health Hospitals |
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