Over 500 infrastructure incidents at delayed hospitals last year which now are “hanging by a thread”

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

• At hospitals in the New Hospital Programme which have seen their construction dates pushed back there were 506 infrastructure incidents - causing 32 days of clinical time to be lost
• These sites also saw close to 100 floods last year - a quarter of all floods on the NHS England estate despite accounting for less than 1% of the buildings
• Delayed hospitals have already had to shut all toilets on the estate following sewage leaks and burst water pipes mean patients warned off going to A&E
• The Liberal Democrats said that the figures revealed that the delayed hospitals are “hanging on by a thread” and called on the Health Secretary to publish a full impact assessment into the risks to patient safety

There were more than 500 infrastructure and estate incidents last year at hospitals where construction as part of the New Hospital Programme will be delayed, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

They resulted in significant impact for patients with 759 hours of clinical time lost as a result of these incidents, the equivalent of 32 days.

241 of these infrastructure and estate incidents were judged to be caused by or related to critical infrastructure risk at these sites, equating to almost half. These issues can include crumbling roofs at risk of collapse, water leaks, broken-down lifts or ventilation and heating systems not working properly. 

Of the total 506 incidents, 153 occurred at the Princess Alexandra, 120 at the Royal Lancaster and 72 at the Queen’s Medical Centre. 

The research also revealed that 93, more than a quarter, of the 357 floods that occurred on the NHS England estate last year occurred at these delayed hospitals, despite making up 1% of the total sites.

Torbay Hospital, one of the delayed projects and the third oldest hospital in the country with its foundation stone laid in 1925, has suffered from sewage leaks, water ingress and crumbling concrete. It has been found that 80% of the site is in poor or bad quality. 

In January 2024 all toilet facilities had to be closed as sewage was found to be leaking into the wards themselves. Torbay Hospital has also had to place crash decks at the base of one of the buildings to protect from crumbling concrete hitting the floor, costing the hospital over £1 million to mitigate defects from a building that is earmarked for demolition anyway. The hospital is also still using portacabins, installed in 1984, to house its laboratories. 

In 2023, the Royal Berkshire Hospital, another scheme that has been delayed, saw a burst water pipe flooding part of the hospital and causing a power failure. It caused the hospital to ask people to avoid A&E unless absolutely necessary and restrict visiting hours.

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the government for their decision to delay the projects calling it a “false economy" that will only put patients' safety at risk. The Party also called on the government to release the full impact assessment of the decision to delay the projects including the consequences for patient safety in these hospitals.

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

“These shocking figures have laid bare the consequences of delay. Communities who were promised that these projects would rescue their local health services will now have to put up with buildings that aren’t fit for purpose and put their wellbeing at risk.

“Millions have been led up the garden path by a previous Conservative government that treated them with utter contempt, making promises that they never intended to keep.

“Now this new government is set to prolong their suffering by embracing the false economy of dither and delay that will only put patients' safety at risk. By burying this news on the day of Trump’s inauguration, they’ve shown complete disrespect for the communities affected. 

“The Health Secretary needs to immediately publish the full impact assessment of these delays with many of these hospital buildings already hanging by a thread. People have a right to know what the impact of this decision will be and just how at risk they are as a result.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

First reported by the BBC here.

Research by the Liberal Democrats on sites where there have been delays can be found here (incidents/floods).

Inside the battle to keep Torbay Hospital from crumbling.

Patients warned 'emergencies only' after flooding at RBH Reading causes power failure.