 The money was part of a £1,100-million hospital-building programme which the Labour government intended to fund through the use of public–private partnerships.The scheme was put on hold for nearly a year until February 2002, when the government confirmed that £25 million was available and permitted the NHS trust responsible for the Royal Alexandra (at the time, the Brighton Health Care NHS Trust) to seek a private finance partner.In August 2002, the trust put the contract for the new hospital's design and construction out to competitive tender.