How Construction Partners Will Power new Hospital Buildings

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) has appointed 10 construction partners marking a key milestone in the UK’s largest hospital building scheme in a generation.

As one of the NHS's infrastructure projects the NHP is looking to redefine how England’s healthcare facilities are designed and constructed.

Transforming healthcare infrastructure procurement

Central to this transformation is the Hospital 2.0 Alliance (H2A) which is a procurement model designed to scrap outdated methods and revolutionise public sector construction through innovation and collaboration.

As it looks to move forward, the NHP has appointed 10 industry leaders in the construction sector as its new partners for the H2A, taking another step forward in its mission to deliver the largest hospital building programme in a generation.

The programme aims to reshape how healthcare infrastructure is planned, designed and delivered across England.

By harnessing collaboration standardisation and long-term partnerships, the NHP is looking to transform the environments in which world-class care is delivered, supporting both today’s patients and the future of the NHS.

Driving systemic industry change

H2A brings together NHS England, NHS Trusts, construction partners and the wider supply chain in an alliance model designed to drive systemic change across the sector.

According to the organisation, the alliance aims to deliver hospitals that are faster to build, safer and digitally enabled. The strategy also intends to unlock additional capacity within a constrained UK construction market.

Furthermore, the alliance aims to drive value for money, quality and consistency at scale. It plans to enable industrialised delivery through Hospital 2.0's standardised designs while attracting new entrants and international expertise into UK healthcare infrastructure.

Investing in skills, social value and long-term capability across the construction and healthcare sectors remains a priority.

Health Minister, Karin Smyth, says: “This Government is making the long-term investment required to rebuild and modernise our NHS, and the Hospital 2.0 Alliance is central to that commitment.

"By backing a standardised approach to hospital building, we are giving the construction sector the certainty it needs to invest in skills, capacity and innovation.

"This is about partnering with industry to deliver better hospitals faster, while driving productivity and value for the NHS and adding to the economic growth of the entire country.”

Leaders unite for delivery

The H2A Agreement serves as the commercial engine for this transformation while the Alliance Agreement fosters a collaborative environment for high performance and shared learning across this multi-year national programme.

Following a selection process, 10 construction partners have been appointed. These partners combine healthcare expertise with the capacity to deliver hospital facilities for patients, staff and local communities.

Natalie Forrest, Chief Programme Officer at the New Hospital Programme adds: “This is a defining moment for the New Hospital Programme and for healthcare construction in England.

"The Hospital 2.0 Alliance is about more than building hospitals – it is about transforming how we deliver them.

"By bringing together Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England, Trusts and industry partners under a true alliance model, we are creating the conditions for faster delivery, better value and consistent quality at scale.

“The appointment of these construction partners is critical to our capacity and capability and reflects a shared commitment to collaboration, innovation and long-term investment in skills and social value. Together, we are building a sustainable model that will support the NHS for decades to come.”

The New Hospital Programme looks forward to working in partnership with:

• Bovis Construction (Europe)
• Dragados Sociedad Anonima
• Integrated Health Projects (IHP)
• John Graham Construction
• Kier Construction
• Laing O'Rourke Delivery
• Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure
• Sacyr UK
• Skanska Construction UK
• Willmott Dixon Construction

This appointment represents a decisive step towards building hospitals differently together and delivering a modern resilient healthcare estate for generations to come.