Millions needed to revamp Hartlepool hospital buildings

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust say it has a rolling programme of maintenance work - including some particularly ageing infrastructure –and that none of the issues present any safety risk to patients or staff.

Figures from NHS Digital show that at the end of March last year, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust needed £37.9m worth of work done to eliminate the backlog of repairs and mantainance required at its sites.

This includes £12.5m worth of work at the University Hospital of Hartlepool and projects costing £24.8m at the University Hospital Of North Tees.

A further £604,000 needs to be spent across other sites, which are not listed in the data.

The figures also reveal the trust spent £7.7 million to cut its maintenance backlog in 2019-20.

A spokesman for the Trust said: “We face a continuous challenge to ensure our buildings remain safe and able to keep pace with the demands of modern healthcare.

“Regular investment is required to ensure we continue to grow, to develop and to innovate. Due to the scale of estate and infrastructure requirements, the limited funding available means only work urgently needed is completed as a priority – to ensure the quality of patient care is at its very highest and patient safety is never compromised.”

He added: “Healthcare will never stand still. It is changing and improving faster than ever before. The only way to ensure a healthcare system fit for the future for our community in the Tees Valley is significant investment in a new hospital and in our community settings.

"This, alongside our ongoing work in helping our community be as healthy as it can be and preventing health issues in their tracks, will ensure we have a health system we can be proud of for years to come.”

In December, the Government announced a £600m scheme to help trusts eradicate the backlog – with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust awarded £3.5 million towards 16 projects.

Overall, it cost £9.7 billion to run the entire NHS estate in the last financial year, the figures show.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the maintenance backlog is now broadly equivalent to the annual cost of running the entire NHS estate.

He added: “Our members have also been telling us how difficult it is proving to expand capacity at pace and ensure high quality infection control in old, outdated buildings.

“Unfortunately it is patients and service users who are paying the price for this backlog."

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said The Government is investing "record sums" to upgrade NHS buildings.

He said: “Alongside funding to deliver 48 hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country, we are providing £600m to tackle nearly 1,800 urgent maintenance projects across 178 trusts.

"This is on top of the NHS’s existing capital budgets which are directed to local maintenance priorities.”