NHS trusts in England have been invited to bid to build eight new hospitals, the Department of Health announced.

It forms part of a Government commitment to build 40 hospitals across the country by 2030, as set out in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s election manifesto.

A final decision on where the hospitals are to be built will be made sometime in spring 2022.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it was an “opportunity for more areas to benefit from the biggest hospital building programme in a generation”.

We particularly welcome the emphasis on mental health and community trusts, which have so far not been prioritised as part of the New Hospital Programme

The other 32 hospitals to be built were named in October 2020, after which the scheme came under scrutiny as it was found that a number of the projects were not for “new” centres but were rebuilds, consolidations of other hospitals, or extra units.

NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, said its members welcomed the announcement, but said more long-term funding was needed to tackle the NHS’s “growing maintenance backlog”.

The organisation’s deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said: “We particularly welcome the emphasis on mental health and community trusts, which have so far not been prioritised as part of the New Hospital Programme.

“But there is much more to be done. We are calling on the Government to commit to an appropriate multi-year capital settlement for the NHS as part of the comprehensive spending review.”