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The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex has been plagued by problems with its ageing buildings and equipment in recent years. It has regular difficulties with floods and sewage leaks across its site, which dates back to the 1960s. There have been reports of patients slipping on flooded floors, foul smells of faeces filling A&E and leaks on wards and in the operating theatre areas, posing a risk to patients and staff alike.
Along with broken equipment and other building-related problems, it leads to so-called “infrastructure” incidents occurring three times a week on average, according to official NHS data analysed by the Liberal Democrats. Over the summer, two of the main operating theatres were out of action, disrupting care for patients needing hip and knee surgery.
The hospital is spending about £9m a year just maintaining and repairing the current estate. Staff come to work to deliver outstanding care to our patients every single day and working within a hospital that is very old and breaks down is very frustrating for them.
Torbay Hospital, one of the oldest in the NHS dating back to the 1920s, and Leeds General Infirmary have both reported problems with sewage leaks and flooding too and are in the same position. Others have been put back even further, with a number told it could be the late 2030s before work begins.
The government has said it is committed to the projects. But, as they will all now slip into the next Parliament and, as such, there is no money yet committed to cover the costs, there is real concern behind the scenes about whether this timetable can even be kept to.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has firmly laid the blame at the Tories door, accusing them of leaving an “unfunded and undeliverable” hospital building programme for him to pick up. This has been disputed by the Tories, who accused Labour of breaking promises and simply deciding not to prioritise the schemes.
The problems run far deeper than just these 18 delayed projects – and the others that have already been finished, started or approved for this decade. The backlog in repairs and maintenance across the entire NHS has been growing for years as capital spending budgets for buildings and equipment have been squeezed.
This lack of investment, it argues, is a “false economy” as it results in poorer patient care and hampers NHS productivity. But it is not just the health service that is affected. A report published this week by the NAO pointed out other parts of the public sector are affected too, with school, court and prison buildings all struggling with maintenance backlogs too.
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