Dilapidated NHS buildings putting patients at risk, report warns

Last year, the Standard revealed that a total of £2.7 billion would be needed to fix the huge backlog of repairs to London hospitals alone.

NHS Providers’ new report, called No More Sticking Plasters, says that the “long neglected” NHS estate in England needs to be brought “into the 21st century” to help both patients and staff.

“We highlight the extent of the dilapidated estate and make the case for strategic capital investment,” the authors wrote.

They added: “Deteriorating NHS infrastructure and estates risk patient safety and quality of care.”

The report warns that targets to improve care may not be met without increased capital investment in infrastructure. This could include ambitions to reduce A&E wait times, ambulance response times and hospital bed capacity levels.

“The operational ask of the NHS cannot be delivered without adequate capital investment,” the authors wrote.

The report also calls on ministers to replace “unsafe” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete planks used in construction between 1960 and 1980.

The precast concrete has an expected lifespan of 30 years, but some trusts have had them in place for more than 50 years.

NHS Providers said there are 14 hospitals which will require extensive building work to prevent their closure.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “The government needs to make some major decisions about the growing maintenance backlog as well as the New Hospitals Programme (NHP), which has been beset by delays and indecision over funding.

“These delays are now leading to spiralling, inflation-driven cost increases far above initial forecasts, and it is increasingly questionable whether the £3.7 billion set aside for the NHP will meet the demands of all the trusts in the programme.

“Urgent decisions are also needed about replacing RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) planks, which present a major and unjustifiable safety risk.

“Trusts are committed to delivering integrated, high-quality care but they aren’t being given the tools to do this. Strategic investment is vital if we are to transform the delivery of healthcare and modernise the ageing NHS estate.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are investing record sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care for patients, backed by £4.2 billion this year and £8.4 billion over the next two years.

“We will also deliver 40 new hospitals as part of the biggest hospital building programme in a generation, as well as over 70 hospital upgrades across England, and will eradicate RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035.

“Our record investment in the NHS is helping to cut the Covid backlogs – we’ve virtually eliminated two-year waits for treatment and have cut waits of more than 18 months by over two-thirds from their peak.”