Over 2,000 hospital buildings older than the NHS as broken lifts and sewage leaks put patients at risk

EMBARGO: 00.01 Monday 15th April

• New research reveals that more than 2,000 hospital buildings across England were built before the foundation of the NHS in 1948

• More than two in three buildings at some NHS trusts are over 75 years old, as patients suffer from sewage leaks and broken lifts

• Liberal Democrats call on Sunak to invest in upgrading hospital infrastructure as Parliament returns

More than 2,000 hospital buildings were built before the foundation of the NHS, new research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The analysis of NHS Digital data shows that one in seven (15%) hospital buildings in England were built before the foundation of the NHS in 1948. At some NHS trusts a shocking two thirds of all buildings are over 75 years old, as crumbling and outdated buildings put patients at risk. The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to announce a plan to upgrade outdated NHS buildings as Parliament returns today, warning it is a “national scandal” that millions of patients are being treated in old and crumbling hospitals.

At Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London, two in three (66.7%) buildings predate the NHS, a higher proportion than any other trust in the county. This was followed by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals (65.5%), Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  (51.1%) and Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (49.5%), Overall, 34 of 211 NHS trusts had at least one in four buildings that were built before 1948. Only 30 trusts had no buildings at all that predated the founding of the NHS.

Many of the hospitals with large numbers of buildings over 75 years old have seen shocking incidents of patient care being impacted by crumbling infrastructure. At St Helier Hospital in Sutton, lifts have reportedly broken down three times a day and an Intensive Care Unit was used as a storeroom as it was deemed unsafe for patients. Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford has seen sewage swell up through its bathroom sinks and onto the wards when it rains. 

The Liberal Democrats are demanding an urgent fund to improve hospital safety, and called on Rishi Sunak to act as soon as Parliament returns today. It follows recent figures revealing the NHS repair backlog has now reached a record £12bn.  Despite this the government has raided £1bn from the NHS capital budget to cover day to day running costs.

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:  

“It is a national scandal that millions around the country are being treated in old and crumbling hospitals that are no longer fit for purpose.

“Patients and staff deserve the dignity of safe, modern and clean hospitals. But instead this government has shamefully chosen to raid capital budgets for fixing crumbling buildings to plug the gap in day-to-day costs, while hospitals are literally falling apart.

“Rishi Sunak needs to get a grip and announce a plan to fix our crumbling hospital buildings. Patients should not have to pay the price for this Conservative government’s chronic neglect of the health service.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The full analysis can be found here.

NHS Digital source here.

The latest National Audit Office report on the government’s progress with the New Hospital Programme can be found here.

Under the Conservatives’ plans, NHS spending will still be £1.7bn less in real terms next year (2024-25) than it was last year, as a result of the Spring Budget.

Source: Spring Budget 2024 - Page 25 & Economic and Fiscal Outlook - Page 146

The issues at Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford can be found here. Issues with St Helier reported by ITV here. Info about the structurally unsound Airedale Hospital can be found here.