South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has described the collapse of an ambitious hospital scheme 'an object lesson in how not to build hospitals' as the taxpayer was left to foot a £15 million bill for the cancelled project. 

Mr Bacon was speaking as the National Audit Office published its report into the collapse of the Paddington Health Campus scheme.  The scheme was intended to replace three run-down hospitals - St Mary's, The Royal Brompton and the Harefield - and provide world-class research facilities for Imperial College.

Mr Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, said:

“This is an object lesson in how not to build hospitals.  The Department of Health's approach was half-hearted and only succeeded in convincing the scheme's partners that the government did not support the project at all.  This scheme has been a shambles of the first order. The real tragedy is that £15 million later, healthcare facilities for the people of London have not improved one bit”.

19 May 2006

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See also:
NAO REPORT: The Paddington Health Campus Scheme

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