BORIS Johnson will today unveil a £13billion plan for 40 new hospitals.
The PM will also pledge to replace crumbling buildings and update equipment.
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Money for “the biggest programme of hospital building in a generation” will come fom the billions saved in EU contributions after Brexit.
It will also honour the promise made on the side of a bus during the 2016 referendum.
Speaking as Tories gathered for their annual rally in Manchester, Mr Johnson insisted the cash boost was “absolutely central” to his vision of a “united society and a united country”.
The splurge will begin with £2.7billion for six hospitals over the next five years. Beneficiaries include health trusts in Leeds, Leicester and St Helier. The remaining projects, including up to a dozen smaller rural hospitals, will be completed over the second half of the next decade.
CANCER TREATMENT BOOST
Part of the package is £200million to replace ageing MRI, CT and breast cancer scanners.
Separately, Mr Johnson will also give scientists £200million to develop treatments for cancer, dementia and other illnesses.
It will allow science companies to scale up and expand by commercialising their discoveries.
The PM said brilliant British researchers have often watched in dismay as overseas giants have stolen a march on them to cash in on their hard work.
But he declared: “This must change”.
A company based in California made billions out of the discovery of DNA by a team in Cambridge over 60 years ago.
The £600 million will launch a new dedicated fund to support the growth of more cutting-edge health and life sciences companies by investing long-term capital.
CREATE TOP JOBS
The funding will create top quality jobs working on therapies for everything from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease.
Mr Johnson said: “The UK has the best universities in the world and we have a proud history of scientific discovery from penicillin to sequencing the human genome.
“But too often we let another country commercialise this discovery. Today I am changing that.
“I want life-saving cancer treatments of tomorrow to say ‘discovered and made in Britain.’
“This means allowing enough late stage capital to be mobilised so that these science discoveries do not have to go overseas to be commercialised.”
In a separate move, thousands of people with poor mental health will benefit from better access to therapies, housing advice and employment support.
As part of the largest ever funding increase to mental health service, the first wave of 12 areas will start recruiting 1,000 extra staff to revamp NHS services.
Mental health minister Nadine Dorries said: “This funding is the first step in our extra £975 million investment in community mental health care.
“It will allow local areas to recruit extra staff to run brand new specialist services, helping them transform the lives of those suffering from poor mental health.”
