Talks underway for £370m hospital

Top level talks are under way in an effort to find £370million funding for a major new hospital serving patients in the Black Country.

The Department for Health is in talks with the Treasury over the Midland Metropolitan Hospital Project in Smethwick.

But the project could still be at risk as the Government has made no decision on whether it will give a guarantee to cover the costs of the project, if Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust gets into difficulty.

The super hospital, which will provide the majority of services for patients from the existing Sandwell and City Hospitals, is set to open by 2016.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust has submitted an outline business case for the project to the Department of Health.

Under the plans, the trust will build a brand new single hospital site as part of a wider regeneration scheme.

But it will also see the number of acute beds at the NHS trust fall from around 950 to 666 beds.

If the Treasury finds the cash, the hospital could open as early as 2015 or 2016 as part of the Private Finance Initiative.