A Nottingham hospital trust has said it needs £1 billion to tackle repairs and a huge maintenance backlog and make the city's hospitals fit for the future.
The claim came as new figures released by the NHS show trusts in Nottinghamshire identified £5.97 million worth of work needed to tackle their “high risk” maintenance backlog in 2018/19 alone.
These are defined as repairs and replacements that must be addressed as an urgent priority in order to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services or deficiencies in safety liable to cause serious injury or prosecution.
A further £97 million was identified by the hospital trusts to clear their “significant risk” maintenance backlog.
While these are less serious problems than those categorised as “high risk”, they still need to be done as a priority to avoid risk to healthcare delivery or safety.
But bosses at Nottingham University Hospitals - which runs City Hospital and Queen's Medical Centre - say they need a £1 billion investment to make all the repairs they need - and to develop facilities.
The trust is one of 21 across the country which will be allocated a share of £100 million from the Department of Health to develop plans for capital projects.
Tracy Taylor, the chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “At Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) we want our patients, our staff and our local population to have hospitals they can be proud of, with facilities that match the high quality of our care.
“The inclusion of NUH in the list of 21 hospitals across the country who will be allocated a share of £100million from the Department of Health and Social Care to develop plans for capital projects brings us closer to realising part of that ambition.
"We have plans for a new Urgent and Emergency Care Centre and new Women and Children’s Hospital at the QMC that this seed money will help us to develop.
“In order to fully realise our ambition for hospitals fit for the future, we need a £1 billion investment in capital funding which will not only provide new and refurbished facilities, but will also tackle the highest critical infrastructure risk in the entire NHS outside of London – this alone adds up to £104million.
“We have prioritised the limited capital monies available to us so that we are investing in areas which reduce our highest risks including engineering infrastructure, distribution systems and building maintenance.
“However, we cannot continue to make do and mend. The need for investment is urgent and without both short-term and long-term funding our hospitals will continue to deteriorate and our ambition for better healthcare may never be realised.”
The recent data comes from returns by NHS trusts, which are asked each year about the current state of their estates.
Overall, the maintenance backlog across the NHS in England was £6.48 billion in 2018-19.
People in Nottingham have called on greater support for Nottingham's hospitals.
Marios Docas, 47, a personal advisor, said: “The NHS is a valuable asset. They should stop reducing the funding given to the NHS so it stops people turning to go private. The staff are working very hard and hospitals are essential.”
Hannah Roger, 26, an engineer from Nottingham who had just been to hospital, said: "There’s no heating or hot water where I just went in the whole of the east block.
"I can’t complain really though, without them I’d be screwed.”
Joanne Pigram, 49, a cleaning supervisor, said: "It’s bad isn’t it really, because how many counties does Nottingham serve?
"They should be given the funding they need. I’d be lost without the hospital, QMC is amazing.”
Carol Anne, 57, who lives in Moor Bridge, added: "More funding is needed for everything not just hospitals, it’s needed for education and housing too. I’m sick of everything being blamed on Brexit.
“The NHS is brilliant, it’s been going for years but it’s a shame it’s been neglected.”
Cost to eradicate maintenance backlog – 2018/19
Site - Total maintenance backlog cost
KINGS MILL HOSPITAL - £13,870,800
NEWARK HOSPITAL - £2,110,500
QUEEN'S MEDICAL CENTRE - £89,445,040
NOTTINGHAM CITY HOSPITAL - £41,368,605
The Department of Health has been contacted for a comment
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