The funding was promised following the trust's Your Care in the Best Place consultation, which supported the bringing together of centres of excellence, merger of three trusts and improved capacity.

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘To date we have received £21.9m of the promised £118m, which has helped us begin some of our work to extend our ED at Southend Hospital and work up business cases for other schemes that were dependent on the capital funding.

‘With the change of Government, there has not been a definitive indication that they will honour the commitment made by previous administrations and we remain hopeful that our schemes will be funded. The trust's 10-year plan, very much in line with the Department of Health and Social Care's plans to bring patient care and facilities up to modern standards, is absolutely reliant on funding to meet the ever-increasing needs of our population.'

A DHSC spokesperson said: ‘This Government inherited a broken NHS, and Lord Darzi's investigation found that capital investment has been neglected, with the hospital estate left to crumble. 

‘That's why we announced a £26bn increase in health and social care funding at the Budget. This funding package included the highest capital budget in real terms since before 2010.

‘We are making sure every penny of extra investment is well spent, so that all patients receive care in buildings that are safe and fit for purpose.'

The DHSC said changes in scope to the original scheme since its funding was originally allocated meant the viability of the project had deviated from its original ask and therefore would need to be re-assessed.

The DHSC said it remained committed to working with NHSE and trust colleagues to assist in any re-working of the scheme in order to meet the needs of the local population, adding a robust case for spend would need to be reassessed via the appropriate business case approval routes.