NHS to get £2bn injection to tackle maintenance costs
The new Southern General hospital will receive �581 million in funding. Picture: Neil Hanna
THE repair bill to fix Scotland’s crumbling hospitals and roads now tops £2 billion, according to damning reports into the state of the country’s infrastructure.
Almost one-third of NHS accommodation falls below acceptable standards it emerged yesterday, with more than £1bn needed to bring it up to scratch – twice as much as thought.
The report was published as council transport leaders revealed that just 62 per cent of the roads run by local authorities are in good condition with the “massive cost” of repairs estimated to be at least £1.54bn in the most recent audit report.
The Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey published yesterday revealed the “deeply concerning” figures, which were compiled by the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS).
The backlogs were branded a “national disgrace” by opposition parties who claimed the SNP government has failed to invest in the country’s vital infrastructure at a time when local authorities are facing swingeing budget cuts.
It came as health secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced more than £500 million of cash for new hospital buildings next year – but faced opposition claims that health service funding will fall in the years ahead.
NHS Scotland has around 1,000 buildings but 36 per cent are more than 50 years old, while just 15 per cent are under ten years old, according to the official State of the NHS Scotland Estate 2011 report, which examined their physical condition.
The vast bulk of the backlog – about 80 per cent – affects clinical areas of hospitals which are used to treat patients. Worryingly, about 40 per cent of the work is needed in areas which are “high or significant” risk clinical areas.
Hospitals are now targeting these high-risk areas for maintenance work and Scottish Government budget levels should be sufficient to reduce the problem to “manageable levels” over the next five years, according to the report.
A significant amount of the work is needed on buildings which health boards plan to dispose of in the next ten years, the report found.
Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie voiced concerns over the impact of the backlog on the morale of workers and patients.
She said: “Our NHS staff do a great job but it is becoming increasingly clear that the SNP government is not providing the necessary investment to keep our hospitals up to scratch.
“It is alarming that such a high proportion of the repairs required are in high-risk clinical areas. Troubling too is the fact that in the space of a month, estimates on the scale of the backlog have more than doubled.
“Patients in Scotland deserve the best possible healthcare and to be treated in first-rate facilities, not crumbling hospitals with damaged facilities. I have real concerns about the impact this will have on staff morale and patient care.”
About £2bn will be spent in Scotland’s hospitals in the four years ahead, but only £300m of this will be directed at maintenance. But this work, together with investment in new facilities and the disposal of old properties, could reduce the backlog to about £535m, although fresh maintenance costs are likely to arise in the meantime.
The report shows around two-thirds of buildings (69 per cent) in NHS boards are in good physical condition, with the remainder assessed as “poor” or “could be improved”.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “This report will help us to improve Scotland’s hospitals, and patients will see the benefits of £2bn-worth of new fit-for-purpose facilities across all health boards, renovations to existing buildings and modern equipment.”
She continued: “For the first time we have a detailed account of the ongoing maintenance work needed on the NHS estate. This will allow us to set a benchmark from which to work from to continue to maintain our NHS buildings.
“It is vitally important that patients receive the best-quality care in settings suitable for their treatment. That is why we are investing more than ever in the NHS estate.”
The report comes as Scotland’s public finances face an unprecedented squeeze in the years ahead, with a real-terms cut of 12.3 per cent, £3.7bn, between now and 2014-15 with 36.7 per cent of the country’s capital budget being slashed.
The backlog maintenance problems have build up over a number of years, but NHS bosses face an ongoing dilemma between improving frontline services for patients and ensuring that the physical state of their hospital facilities does not get in the way of this.
The situation varies around the country, with more than half of hospital accommodation in Dumfries and Galloway, Highland and Grampian assessed as “poor” or “could be improved”.
Gary Mortimer, NHS Grampian’s general manager of facilities and estates, said many of its buildings, such as Maud hospital and parts of the Royal Cornhill hospital in Aberdeen, should help drive down its £165m backlog.
“The planned disposal of these properties and maintenance by NHS Grampian should reduce our backlog maintenance to £150m,” he said.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Highland and NHS Orkney have 10 per cent or more of their buildings in an unsatisfactory state.
Ms Baillie added: “Despite the SNP promising to protect the health budget, the reality for patients and NHS workers on the frontline paints an entirely different picture. Over 2,000 nurses have lost their jobs already under the SNP and now these shock new figures show too many of our hospitals are in a dire state of repair.”
Most hospital accommodation in Scotland is fully used, according to the report.
Only in Highland, Orkney and Shetland is there a preponderance of empty wards, although this is down to the geographically diverse nature of these areas and the need to maintain facilities in areas with a relatively low population.
More than a third – 36 per cent – of the hospital estate is found not to be suitable for the kind of treatment and activities they house and a review is now under way into this.
“There is some concern that there are inconsistencies in the way in which NHS boards are currently undertaking assessments of functional suitability,” the report adds.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Alison McInnes said the NHS maintenance bill is “a huge amount of money and should be deeply concerning for the health secretary”. She added: “The health secretary must explain how she is going to tackle this situation, before Scotland’s hospitals and health centres get into any more disrepair.”
Tory health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said an “alarming backlog” had built up under the SNP and the previous Labour and Lib Dem administrations.
He said: “Scottish Conservatives highlighted this problem in early January when the estimated repairs from 2009 were £500m.
“We are now presented with a figure which is double that and it is clear that something must be done.
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Comments
There are 34 comments to this article
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Jolly
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 11:43 AMMoosef I think you probably knew what you were talking about in your comment! Alas, others here did not follow your humour.
Tarheel Chief
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 01:40 AMI do wish the medical equipment industry would publish their salary structures,their inventory of machines,and the used machine marketplace for the public. One would also hope the drug industry of the UK would publish their salary structure,their inventory warehouse lists,and the commissions paid to NHS salesmen. Much of the hysteria produced for the media arrive via these public relations firms.
scouser
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 06:29 PMi suppose the tories will get all the blame for scotlands woes, lets see 13 years of labour and snp rule that gives money away without a care of how it should be repayed, typical socialists don't have the faintest idea on how to balance the books, the both of them will promise the people the world for their vote, as an english man i hope scotlands get independence and salmond might just realise that money doesn't grow on trees, it's that hard working british tax payers who fund his promises and when they go wrong who does he blame the english, while i'm at as salmond got fatter now that he's leading the scottish parliament, it must be all those free holidays and restuarant bills that tax payer pays for
StephenGash
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 04:21 PMDid England's Health Minister Lansley's visit have anything to do with this? Maybe coughing up some extra English cash as a sweetner before Cameron's "crisis" talks with Salmond? Didn't Big Eck (known as Wee Waddler in England) work for RBS before becoming a mighty politician? With only 6 MPs in Westminster and such a poor record in Scotland's government I do wonder why the SNP is given so much credence. At least Cameron has called their bluff with the in-out only question on the neverendum. Or maybe it'll be devo-max only?
moosef
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 01:20 PMThis is brilliant news. They need it. Take the money from the international attack and offence brigade. Sorry. I mean the deefence ministry
CheesyQ
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 01:12 PM28 Salamanderski, I agree, these socialists have proved they are incapable of running a country as have the SNP in maintaining it. Politicians are self serving buffoons get rid!
Salamanderski
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:52 PM@27 Cheesy So the NHS buildings are crumbling in the Socialist Citadel. Remove freebies, and release the funds.
CheesyQ
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 12:06 PMMaintenance? Are you kidding? So you have to maintain them too? Who'd have thought that you would have to put money aside to stop the countries infra-structure crumbling? Certainly not John Swinney.
Niebiosa tam sa naprawde nieskrzydlowe ludzie tam
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:52 AMAnd, the building is not even 10yrs old yet !
Niebiosa tam sa naprawde nieskrzydlowe ludzie tam
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:51 AMThe biggest mistake was the madness that is PFI, started under Labour. Look at the jewel in the crown, Edinburgh's RIE. £50million a year "rent", and the place is a shambles, falling apart,leaking,flooding basements, no panic buttons or fire alarms for months, too few beds that pts are expelled too soon, and then have to be re admitted soon afterwards. The chap that fought toorh and nail for RIE to be funded by PFI, and refused to even look at other funding models, did so because he was promised a gong,it makes me sick (how ironic),
Blantyre Bill
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:21 AMThis is partly the result of the priorities that SNIP have set since they came to power 5 years ago.
The auld lies will nae wash any mair
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 11:02 AMThe poor state of buildings in the NHS is evidence of decades of neglect. Successive Westminster and Holyrood ToryLabour and LibDem governments have found it all to easy to cut maintenance and repair budgets when they wanted to waste our money to spend on illegal wars etc. During the LabourLibDem administration at Holyrood they even managed to incur a £billion underspend which they then handed back to Westminster rather than allocate it to maintaining and repairing our hospitals. Judging by this announcement and action the present SNP government at Holyrood is committed to reversing the decades of neglect which can only be a good thing.
coby66
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:30 AMI wouldn't ever beleive a word of "Jabba the Hut" Baillie. She's got plenty of form of misinformation and fibbing.
DANCES WITH HAGGIS
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:29 AMPending Moderation
Niddrie Nick
Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 10:17 AMThe only real shock is that it isn't costing more!!! Like the article on the state of the roads, this country's infrastructure is falling to bits and why?? Decades and decades of neglect by years and years of TORY governments, Labour's patchy quilt of recovery and local Councils with wrong priorities. Too much emphasis on the economy, and running the country like a business where GREED and personal wealth has become a major factor. This is one bird that was always coming home to roost - and NO Govt twitcher was watching. Yes, the whole country is in DIRE need of repairs - but don't expect THIS Brokeback Govt to fund the necessary squillions it will take to sort sort it all ou!
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