NHS: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what process his Department uses to assess Integrated Care Board capital investment priorities; and whether Birmingham Heartlands Hospital A&E rebuild features in capital planning for 2026-2027.
Answered by Karin Smyth
Capital funding is provided nationally and split between system operational capital and national capital programmes aligned to national priorities. Decisions on capital investment are taken by local systems, empowering the frontline to prioritise funding in line with local need and strategic priorities.
NHS England’s Capital guidance 2026/27 to 2029/30 is clear that systems have the autonomy to determine the optimal deployment of their operational capital allocation, making local trade‑offs to manage and prioritise day‑to‑day capital requirements within the available envelope.
Integrated care boards and partners must also agree and publish a Joint Capital Resource Plan each year, setting out how they will prioritise capital locally against their wider strategic priorities and affordability.
If the rebuild of Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Emergency Department is prioritised through regional planning processes, it should be mentioned in the published Joint Capital Resource Plan.
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