Ministers gave the green light yesterday to two redevelopments of hospitals in Birmingham and St Helens costing £1bn, writes Christopher Adams. A new acute hospital and mental health facilities will open to patients under the £690m Birmingham scheme, which will provide 1,231 beds, as well as accident and emergency, specialist burns and transplant wards, a decontamination suite and operating theatres.

The £338m St Helens scheme would see the development of St Helens and Whiston hospitals in Merseyside, including a new diagnostic treatment centre and a 963-bed hospital, the health department said. Both schemes would be developed under the government's private finance initiative.