§ Lord Pearson of Rannochasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the capital sum required to build a new hospital similar to an existing hospital such as Bart's and to generate enough annual income to cover its running costs.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)A typical medium sized district general hospital of 800 beds will have a building construction cost of about £100 million. The cost per bed is estimated at about £135,000. Typically, other costs will add between 50 to 100 per cent. to these building costs. These costs are hard to relate to the design of an old hospital such as Bart's. Estimates such as these are complex. That for any particular new hospital will rest on a particular business case. It is not possible to say illustratively whether such an investment would generate enough income to cover its running costs. The design of a new hospital takes account of the services which health authorities are ready to commission and pay for.