NHS maintenance bill ‘alarming’

A document detailing the condition of NHS buildings in Scotland has been published today. NHS Scotland's State of Estate report revealed that there is now a backlog in maintenance of over £1billion, with 40% of the backlog being of 'high or significant risk'.

It comes after the Scottish Conservatives highlighted in January that continuing budget constraints were making it harder to deal with the £500million backlog estimated by Audit Scotland in 2009.

Scottish Conservative Health Spokesman, Jackson Carlaw MSP said:

"This is a welcome report that shows the alarming backlog that has built up under the SNP and the previous Labour and Lib Dem administrations.

"Scottish Conservatives highlighted this problem in early January when the estimated repairs from 2009 were £500million. We are now presented with a figure which is double that and it is clear that something must be done.

"The SNP needs to put together a maintenance programme which deals not only with the buildings in most urgent need of repair, but will provide a long term solution for this problem.

"Some health boards have higher maintenance bills than others but some areas need repairs carried out more urgently. The SNP must now look at other innovative finance ideas since their much hailed Scottish Futures Trust does not seem to be the solution."

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