Tens of millions needed to restore Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust buildings

NHS Providers warned that the speed at which the NHS estate is falling into disrepair is putting patients’ lives at greater risk and making it more difficult for frontline staff to provide the right quality of care.

Figures from NHS Digital show that at the end of March last year, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust needed £44.1 million worth of work to eliminate the backlog of maintenance required at its sites.

Of the total, £5.4 million was needed to eradicate high-risk issues to avoid serious injuries to patients, major disruption to services or “catastrophic failure”.

This included:- £3.1 million at The Princess Royal Hospital

- £2.3 million at The Royal Sussex County Hospital

Around £11.2 million should have been spent on items posing a significant risk to safety or delivery of services.

High and significant backlog maintenance usually relates to essential activity, such as replacing a backup generator.

Around £27.4 million was required for medium and low grade maintenance, which typically relates to improving the patient environment and can include the refurbishment and repainting of a building.

These sites at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust require maintenance investment:

- The Royal Sussex County Hospital: £25.2 million

- The Princess Royal Hospital: £18.9 million

The figures also reveal the trust spent £5.9 million to cut its maintenance backlog in 2019-20.

In December, the Government announced a £600 million scheme to help trusts eradicate the backlog – with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust awarded £6 million towards seven projects.

Across England, £9 billion should have been spent on eradicating the backlog of maintenance work required across all NHS trusts.

Of that, more than £1.5 billion was due for the most urgent repairs.

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 backlog is now broadly equivalent to the annual cost of running the entire NHS estate.

“More worrying still, over half of this is for work of high or significant risk.

“In short, this problem poses an increasing threat to safety.”

Mr Hopson said it is also impacting on the response to the pandemic, with a “dramatic” rise in demand for oxygen in recent months placing a strain on supply.

He added: “Trusts have upgraded several hospital systems over the past few months to prepare, however many trusts are telling us that the deteriorating state of the NHS estate is having an impact on the supply of oxygen.

“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.”

George Findlay, chief medical officer and deputy chief executive for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said: ““Delivering safe and effective care for patients is the top priority for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

“Dedicated teams of crafts men and women, often unseen by the public, work tirelessly to keep our buildings running and our services available.

“During the past year we have spent £10 million on maintaining the existing estate. Work that needs to be carried out is prioritised based on safety, and how it will benefit patient care. This includes maintaining and improving the care environment for patients and staff.”

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said it is investing “record sums” to upgrade NHS buildings.

“Alongside funding to deliver 48 hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country, we are providing £600 million to tackle nearly 1,800 urgent maintenance projects across 178 trusts, he added.”

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