Still no straight answers from Hancock over Norfolk's crumbling hospital

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Hancock said he was aware of the problems at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, where almost 200 props have had to be installed to hold the roof up.

He added while the QEH had not been included in the list of 40 new hospitals which were announced in the autumn, a further eight were in the pipeline.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced the introduction of the Test and Trace support payment in September last year (Image: PA)

"I'm talking to the trust and James Wild [MP for North West Norfolk] about King's Lynn's place on that list," he said. "I can't say for sure now but I can see the case."

Pressed on when the decision might be made over whether the QEH would be included in the further eight, Mr Hancock said an assessment was being carried out and it would be "in the months ahead".

Asked whether its problems were not now so severe that it should allowed to leap the queue, he said a new hospital would cost "100s of millions", adding: "Its something we've got to get right, but it's something that is on my agenda."

An example of one of the 131 props in place around the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, including its kitchen and Rudham ward. (Image: QEH)

The QEH has been awarded £20m to carry out repairs on its building, which was built with an expected working life of 30 years in the late 1970s but is still being used more than four decades later.

The West Suffolk Hospital, which was of similar age and construction, was included in the government's list of 40 new hospitals. Mr Hancock said structural problems were more advanced there at the time the decision was being taken.

Keeping the roof up at the QEH for the next 10 years is expected to cost £550m - almost as much as a new hospital.

The QEH's risk register states: "There is a direct risk to life and safety of patients, visitors and staff due to the potential of catastrophic failure of the roof structure due to structural deficiencies."

Last week, board members heard less than half of the concrete planks which make up the structure had been checked.

The eight new hospitals are expected to be named after a government spending review in November. If successful, the replacement QEH would be built between 2025 and 2030.

So far, Mr Hancock has not replied to an open letter from the EDP or answered questions about the QEH which have been sent to his office. Almost 6,500 have now signed the EDP's online petition calling for the hospital to be replaced.