NHS lost over 600 days of clinical time due to crumbling hospitals last year

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The health service lost 608 days worth of clinical time due to infrastructure failures on the NHS estate, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. 

The data shows that in 2023/24, 14,596 hours of clinical time was lost due to infrastructure issues on the NHS estate, the equivalent of 608 days. The figures also revealed that close to 80% of the time lost was due to incidents that were the most clinically impactful.

These issues can include crumbling roofs at risk of collapse, water leaks, broken-down lifts or ventilation and heating systems not working properly.

 As well as time lost, the Library’s research showed the number of incidents caused by infrastructure risks on the NHS estate in the past year. It showed that there were 7,966 in total, or 22 a day, with 1,584 of these classified as critical incidents, the most severe kind recorded. 

The Trust that had the most critical incidents was Essex Partnership University NHS Trust which has a staggering 300, this was followed by Princess Alexandra with 229, then Guy and St Thomas’s with 148 and then Surrey and Sussex with 107. In total, 26 NHS Trusts have had at least 10 of these critical infrastructure incidents.

The total cost to eradicate the backlog of repairs on the NHS estate now stands at a record high £13.8bn up from £11.6bn the previous year, an increase of £2.2bn.

The Liberal Democrats said the figures were “shocking” and called on the new government to bring forward a 10-year plan to eradicate the repairs backlog on the NHS estate.

Liberal Democrat Health and Care spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP said:

“These shocking figures outline once again just how broken our NHS is after years of the previous Conservative government’s neglect. Patients are no longer confident that desperately needed treatment will go ahead without being interrupted by hospitals crumbling around them. 

“How can the Government expect to get the NHS waiting times down when the buildings are in such a state of disrepair? It is a situation that the new government must grip urgently and bring to an end.

“That should start by Ministers bringing forward a 10-year plan to eradicate the repair backlog and ensure that our NHS is fit for purpose so that patients can finally get the care they deserve.” 

ENDS