Crumbling NHS buildings in urgent need of repair

Statistics from Audit Scotland have revealed that there is an estimated backlog of £500m in maintenance and repair to NHS properties in Scotland. It also stated that due to the financial pressures ahead it might make it even more difficult to maintain these properties in the future.

Scottish Conservative Health Spokesman, Jackson Carlaw MSP said:

"This is a deeply worrying discovery. Not only are our hospitals in a state of disrepair, but there are also question marks over how the repairs will ever be paid for.

"This is a classic case of failing to fix the roof when the sun was shining. Successive Scottish Governments have failed to deal with this problem when the budget was available to them, and now that budgets are tighter they no longer have the funds.

"It is no comfort to communities to see neighbouring areas receive new facilities while existing buildings in their own town are in a state of disrepair.

"People across Scotland will understandably be apprehensive about the safety of NHS buildings, and we cannot afford to wait to carry out these repairs. Nicola Sturgeon must urgently provide a means for these repairs to take place so NHS patients can rest assured that these buildings are up to standards."

The Audit Scotland report can be found here:

http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/health/2011/nr_111215_nhs_overview.pdf

Paragraph 29 on page 14 of the document reads:

"Despite significant capital spending since devolution, the estimated cost of backlog maintenance and repair to the NHS estate remains significant. In 2009, we estimated that over £500 million was needed to address backlog maintenance and repair across the NHS estate. Continued financial pressures over the next few years mean that it may be more difficult to maintain the estate"

Back to all posts