Eleven agreements have been signed between NHS trusts and construction partners to deliver hospital schemes stretching from Manchester to Cornwall and the east of England. The partnerships signal the programme's transition into its delivery phase and introduce a more collaborative approach to hospital construction.

The new model is based on the New Hospital Programme's Hospital 2.0 strategy, which aims to standardise the design, construction and operation of NHS hospitals while allowing individual trusts to tailor facilities to the needs of their local communities.

The approach combines national design standards, digital technology and modern methods of construction to improve efficiency, productivity and value for money. It is also intended to create hospitals that are safer, more sustainable and better equipped to meet future healthcare demands.

Under the arrangements, NHS trusts will remain responsible for ensuring new hospitals reflect local clinical and community needs, while long-term partnerships with construction organisations are expected to encourage greater collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement throughout delivery.

The agreements also establish a longer-term pipeline of work for the construction sector, providing greater certainty for businesses and supporting investment in skills and workforce development.

Central to the programme is the Hospital 2.0 Alliance, which brings together NHS trusts, the New Hospital Programme and construction partners. Rather than treating each hospital as a separate project, the alliance is designed to enable organisations to share expertise, adopt consistent standards and improve delivery across multiple schemes, with the aim of accelerating the construction of modern healthcare facilities for communities across England.

Karin Smyth, Minister of State for Health, said: 'For too long, the construction of new hospitals has been bogged down by bureaucratic procurement processes, even after full approval and funding was in place, and we're determined to change that.

'The changes announced today are a major step forward in streamlining the procurement process. Patients can look forward to new hospitals being delivered quicker, industry can plan with certainty, and taxpayers can be assured that we are getting maximum value for their money.

'With stronger collaboration, shared learning and a boost for jobs, this further demonstrates this government's commitment to the New Hospital Programme, providing world-class facilities for the NHS and helping the economy in the process.'

The first wave of Hospital 2.0 partnerships includes:

• Airedale NHS Foundation Trust - GRAHAM

• Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust - Sacyr UK

• Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Laing O'Rourke

• James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Skanska

• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - Bovis Construction

• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Leighton Hospital) - Integrated Health Projects (VINCI Building and Sir Robert

McAlpine joint venture)

• Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Morgan Sindall Construction

• North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (Hinchingbrooke Hospital) - Kier Construction

• Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust - Skanska

• Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust - Willmott Dixon Construction

• West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - DRAGADOS Sociedad Anónima