Next phase of hospital's £1.5bn rebuild revealed

The long awaited £1.5bn rebuild of North Manchester General Hospital is set to begin next year, with the construction of a new outpatients building.

The work will involve demolishing the main Victorian hospital building and creating a state-of-the-art, modern facility on the existing site in Crumpsall.

The project was promised by Boris Johnson at the general election in 2019 but was paused by the Labour government in 2024 before the scheme was finally approved last year.

Prof Matt Makin, interim joint chief medical officer for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), welcomed the plans, and said the future hospital would "revolutionise healthcare".

Mark Cubbon, MFT chief executive said work on the next phase of the hospital project is set to begin next year.

Greater Manchester's largest ever NHS capital programme is part of the wider Victoria North regeneration scheme, which will create 15,000 new homes in the area.

Cubbon called the development "incredibly exciting not just for our patients but for our teams, too - they provide some incredible care from facilities which were designed for healthcare practices which are now many decades old".

The main building at North Manchester General, which was built in 1876, is one of the oldest buildings in the NHS and is still known locally as Crumpsall Hospital.

Many of the former Victorian workhouse buildings on the site were demolished in 2022 to make way for a multi-story car park with 980 spaces.

The new car park was the first phase of the rebuilding project and it freed land which will be needed during construction of the new North Manchester General Hospital building.

A new mental health hospital called North View opened on the North Manchester General Hospital site in 2024, with 150 single en-suite bedrooms.

Crumpsall Hospital was used as a receiving station for 500 casualties from Belgium in 1914, at the start of the First World War.

The hospital was part of the Pennine Acute Trust and was acquired by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in 2021, to provide a single hospital service for people in Manchester and Trafford.

The new North Manchester General Hospital is currently projected to open in 2035.

Makin, who has worked at North Manchester General Hospital for 10 years, said: "Our new hospital is about much more than just creating a state-of-the-art building with single rooms for every patient – it will enable us to revolutionise healthcare with a digitally led hospital, which brings cutting-edge innovations and technologies to our patients."

Councillor Thomas Robinson, Manchester City Council's executive member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care, called it "one of the most ambitious regeneration programmes in the country".

His colleague, councillor Garry Bridges, the council's deputy leader added: "The redevelopment of North Manchester General Hospital is a cornerstone of a broader vision and long-term commitment to North Manchester that we and our partners have consistently championed at a national and city level."

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