New research offers a ray of hope amid ongoing concerns over the future of the healthcare construction industry.
BBH revealed last month how forecasters were suggesting opportunities within the sector were dwindling.
This was due to unease over PFI contracts and the lack of capital funding for public-sector projects.
However, figures revealed this week by Barbour ABI offer a more-hopeful view of the future.
They show that the value of schemes at detailed planning stage increased by 62.7% in 2014, compared to the same period in 2013, suggesting a significant volume of work is in the pipeline for the coming years.
And, while construction growth across the medical and health sector was modest last year at 8.5% - of £2.3billion - plans for large-scale projects, such as the new £250m suite at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, mark a future boost in activity.
Michael Dall, lead economist for Barbour ABI, explains: “An aging population is adding huge pressures to the health sector and more facilities are being built to accommodate demand, despite talks of budget cuts across the board.
“The allocated spend of £4.7billion for health and social care during 2015-16 under the national infrastructure plans also suggests that improvements in activity levels will continue in the medium term. Whether this spending is enough to meet the increasing demands on the NHS in particular remains to be seen.”