Repairs bill backlog at Shropshire hospitals tops £70m as MP calls for action
More than £70 million is needed to fix the backlog of repairs at hospitals in Shropshire, it has been revealed.
The NHS data, which has been shared by the county's Liberal Democrats, shows outstanding repairs to the value of £56.3 million at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, £12.7 million at the Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen and £3.1 million at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust facilities.
It means the total bill across the county’s hospital sites is £72,175,042.
North Shropshire's Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan said the figures were evidence of the need for "serious investment" to provide acceptable services.
The data shows that the Shropshire hospital in need of the most spending on repairs is Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, with a backlog worth nearly £37 million, followed by Princess Royal Hospital in Telford where £19.4 million is needed to fix the hospital’s buildings.
It follows the national hospital repair bill reaching a record high of £11.6 billion last year, rising by more than £1 billion.
At the same time, surgery and treatment waiting lists are near record highs at 7.7 million and Shropshire continues to suffer with some of the worst delays for emergency care and cancer treatment.
Some significant investment has taken place at county hospitals over the past year, such as Princess Royal Hospital, with the creation of a new entrance, with shops and admin space, and major plans are in the pipeline for Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as part of the long-delayed £312m 'Future Fit' hospitals transformation programme.
Mrs Morgan said the situation is another example of the need for central investment in the county’s NHS.
She said: "This backlog of repairs is putting patients and staff in Shropshire at risk. It is disgraceful that it has come to this.
"People deserve to know that they can get the treatment and care they need in a safe environment. They shouldn’t have to worry that the very buildings are crumbling around them.
"We need serious investment to get our local health services up to an acceptable standard, but it seems the Government are simply unwilling to make the changes we need."
