Hospital construction will not restart until 2027

4 hours ago

James RobinsonLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — Many of the original Berwick hospital construction workers have been rehired

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust An aerial view of the new Berwick hospital mid construction. Green panelling has been paced over the sprawling hospital building while work is under way. An excavator and a large lorry are parked outside. There are rows of houses behind it. — Many of the original Berwick hospital construction workers have been rehired

Building work on a new hospital is not expected to restart in earnest until the new year, NHS bosses have said.

The £35m project to replace the Victorian-era infirmary in Berwick has stalled ever since original contractors Merit Construction went into administration in late 2025.

Gateshead-based company Robertson Construction was brought in to replace Merit in January and began by completing "survey work", which is still ongoing according to Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Some work is expected to be carried out before Christmas, but the trust says the "bulk of the work" will be done in 2027.

There had previously been hopes the hospital would open in the middle of this year.

Northumbria Healthcare An artist's impression of how the new Berwick hospital would look. It shows a two-storey brick building with pillars, a lot of glass and a section with a roof garden. — Berwick's new hospital was initially meant to open in 2022

However, at the time of its approval in December 2020 it was predicted to open in 2022 and cost £25m.

Initial delays came from the need for an archaeological dig on the site and work finally started in early 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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