Our new hospital journey

In Summer 2023, the Trust asked a specialist land agency to identify a range of potential sites for the new Frimley Park Hospital. To this list of possible sites, pass or fail criteria was applied to rule out those that were unsuitable. This included whether the land was at least 20 developmental acres, whether there was an obvious planning risk, and if the landowner was willing to sell within an acceptable timescale. 

For the next step, the Trust looked at 14 technical criteria and considered the feedback from the public and staff engagement, including the overall ability to deliver for 2030, transport, distance from current site, and the relative cost. Following this process, a number of ‘preferred sites’ were shortlisted. 

When we received the final funding envelope of £1.5-£2 billion in April 2025, we also received a revised hospital size. The national new hospital programme team wanted to ensure no other opportunities had arisen now we had a confirmed site size requirement, therefore we re-reviewed all shortlisted sites. 

This included detailed analysis into transport and access, provision of utilities and environmental factors. Our existing site was part of this re-review but its constraints and challenges mean it was ruled out. This detailed work now means that we are very close to formally identifying a preferred site and we are in final negotiations with landowners.   

While we continue to make exciting progress in our plans, we can’t yet tell you where we’re proposing our new hospital to be, but we can say that it is less than five miles from the current site. 

Current timeline  

Our targeted timeline to deliver our new hospital remains on track. Although note that some of the timings we list in the video are outside of our control and may move.

While our site selection goes through critical final steps, we’re making rapid progress in developing our business case process. 

This can often be a long and complicated stage, but it is essential in ensuring we receive government approval of our plans. There are three business cases we need to complete before we can begin building the new hospital.  

Business case one: 

The first is our Strategic Outline Case (SOC) which we’re submitting at the end of September. It will initially explain how we’re planning to use the £1.5bn-£2bn worth of funding we’ve received - encompassing the new hospital as well as investments in community-based facilities.   

It’s a crucial first step in our business case development process and will enable us to deliver on our wider system transformation plans. We aim to obtain final sign off in spring 2026. 

Business case two:

Our Outline Business Case (OBC) is next and establishes the justification for a ‘preferred way forward’ providing more detailed analysis on designs, impact and approach. To speed up the process, we are going to begin our OBC in advance of final SOC sign off. 

Business case three:

Following our OBC we will submit our Final Business Case (FBC) which provides even more detail and analysis and will include financial and contractual information.  

Once the FBC is approved (and we’ve received planning permission) we can begin our build, which the government have scheduled between 2028 - 2029. 

We have already started working with design and construction teams to look at a simple plan of what the new hospital will be like. This has fed into our site selection decision. 

We will be using the ‘Hospital 2.0’ standardised design blueprint to deliver our new hospital, and for more information on this, please go to our dedicated Hospital 2.0 pages.   

For patients needing care in the new hospital, it will enable us to transform services for patients and the local community, significantly improving patient care and clinical outcomes. The Hospital 2.0 design principles include:  

• Transformational patient care
  Driving transformation to provide excellent, safe and digitally enabled experience for patients, visitors and staff. 

• Hospitals for now and the future
  Hospitals that are adaptable and resilient to change, that transform national standards and leave a sustainable legacy. 

• Optimised healthcare structure
  The right estates, the right layout enabling people to be in the right place, supported by intelligent digital systems. 

• Built efficiently; operated and maintained to last
  Using innovation and technology to leverage scale and drive efficiency and value for money. This will ensure maximum durability for the future. 

Putting this into practice, it means our new hospital will feature single, ensuite rooms giving enhanced privacy and infection control, state-of-the-art operating theatres, and the latest digital technology and IT infrastructure. 

These plans take into account our Trust strategy and clinical strategy, focussing on the three strategic shifts of hospital to community care, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. 

Incorporating insights and feedback from staff, patients, and local communities is vital to our design process. This will help shape a hospital that truly meets the needs of those it serves, fostering a sense of ownership and community involvement. 

We are also future proofing the hospital by using modern methods of construction, improving energy efficiency and sustainability. 

Before we can commence any groundworks, it is essential to bring necessary utilities to the site. This includes establishing connections for electricity and water, which are critical for both the construction process and the future operation of the hospital.  

These works are estimated to begin in 2027 - 2028. 

By securing these utilities, we can ensure a smooth and efficient development phase, paving the way for a state-of-the-art hospital that will serve the community for generations to come. 

Once we have completed the above phases, we can then begin to build our new hospital. This is estimated to start in 2028 - 2029. 

Our ambition is to provide the highest quality urgent, planned, and specialised care in the most modern environment, as well as deliver first-class community care. 

We will ensure that all these services are delivered from a hospital incorporating the latest sustainability and environmental initiatives and cutting-edge digital technology. 

After our services have moved across to the new hospital, we will begin demolishing the areas within the current Frimley Park Hospital that contain RAAC.