February 4, 2020 4.16 pm This story is over 57 months old

Lincolnshire health trusts under £120m repairs backlog

£51 million worth of “high risk” and “significant risk” repairs needed
Scunthorpe General Hospital on Church Lane in Scunthorpe. | Photo: Calvin Robinson for The Lincolnite

Lincolnshire hospitals are “crumbling” under a £101 million backlog of repairs with some dating back several years, union representatives say.

Mental health units and community hospitals in Lincolnshire are also in need of repairs, which takes the total bill up to £120 million.

New official figures from the NHS revealed that £51 million of the hospital repairs are in the category for the most “high risk” and “significant” risk, which could cause major disruption to hospital services.

Boston Pilgrim Hospital has nearly £22 million of “high risk” and “significant” risk repairs while Scunthorpe General Hospital and Lincoln County Hospital have £11 million and £10 million respectively.

Boston Pilgrim Hospital. Picture: Steve Smailes

Elliot Dean, Unison regional organiser, claimed the hospitals in Lincolnshire are crumbling and urged the government to invest more.

He said: “These huge repair bills show the urgent need for the government to invest in the NHS across Lincolnshire.

“Some staff are being required to work in buildings that are literally falling apart around them.

“It’s vital that employees are able to go about their work without being compromised by poorly maintained buildings.

“As NHS trusts try to reduce spending, to meet government savings targets, the backlog of maintenance will continue to increase if not tackled urgently.”

Paul Boocock, director of estates and facilities, said: “Backlog maintenance is a feature of the healthcare estate nationally, and it represents the amount of capital investment needed to bring an NHS building up to an appropriate standard.

“The types of investment needed in Lincolnshire’s hospitals include replacement or upgrade of some electrical distribution system, pipework, drainage, fire safety systems, water supply infrastructure or the removal of asbestos.

“Patient safety is a top priority for the Trust, and our estates risks are regularly assessed and reviewed to ensure our staff and patients are not unduly affected by ongoing estates issues.

“We have been investing, and continue to invest, significant amounts of our capital funds in improving our estate.

“For example, we have recently invested £46 million in improvements to fire safety infrastructure.”