Bosses at the QEH have admitted there are problems unrelated to the crumbling building which have to be addressed after it was named the worst hospital in the country.

This admission came amid praise from Health Secretary Wes Streeting regarding staff’s response to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s shocking ranking.

In September, NHS league tables ranking hospitals, ambulance services and mental health providers were published, with the QEH at the very bottom.

Speaking at the 2025 NHS Providers Annual Conference and Exhibition at Manchester Central last week, Mr Streeting said that transparency, accountability and “earned” autonomy are essential to improving quality across the NHS.

He highlighted QEH’s response, telling the conference: “I was delighted for example, with the way the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, a hospital which is literally being propped up on stilts, responded to being bottom of the table.

“Let me just share with you what the executive managing director, Chris Bown said.

“He said, and I quote, ‘The issues about our waiting times in our emergency department being too long, our waiting times for cancer care, and elective care being too long, and our financial situation, are not attributed directly to the state of the building. There are things we must do within this building to improve the experience of patients and staff’.”

The Health Secretary went on to say: “Now, the reason I highlight that as an example is, he could easily have said it’s all because my hospital’s falling down.

“And I know he could have said that because I recall offering that defence myself on BBC local radio, in his part of the world earlier that day.

“And in contrast to what I said, what Chris did was offer the warts and all honesty. That is the first step on the road to recovery, not making excuses and covering backsides, but actually taking responsibility and showing a determination to improve.

“Even when factors are stacked against you, that is how we turn the NHS around. But even as we let go of the top-down approach of the past, we’re not abandoning trusts to their fate. Those at the bottom of the tables will receive more support. At the other end, good performance will be incentivised and rewarded.

“This new culture of openness drives change and builds confidence that the NHS can learn and improve, which is crucial to restoring people’s faith in the NHS itself.”

Mr Bown, the QEH’s interim executive managing director, subsequently added: “We appreciate the Secretary of State’s recognition of our response to the NOF league table results.

“At the QEH we are absolutely committed to facing our challenges head-on, with honesty and a determination to improve patient care.

“While our ageing building presents clear difficulties, many improvements lie within our gift. We are already driving forward changes that will make a real difference for our patients and staff.

“We welcome the additional support linked to the league tables and will continue to work openly and collaboratively to deliver the standards our community rightly expects.”

The QEH is currently set for a rebuild, with a new hospital expected to be complete by 2032.

However, funding has still to be released, and work on a new multi-storey car park has still yet to begin.