Shropshire Star comment: NHS repair bill keeps racking up

And if health chiefs did not have enough on their plate at the moment, we today highlight the region’s trusts that have a backlog of repairs totalling more than £72 million.

In particular it represents another headache for the beleaguered Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, which already has to compile weekly reports to the Care Quality Commission after a critical inspection report.

Now it emerges that the county’s two main hospitals need £54.5 million worth of repairs, with failing infrastructure and equipment blamed for 50 incidents in the space of 12 months.

On the face of it, the figures do not look good. They suggest that the county’s creaking hospitals need a massive investment just to stand still. And that is before we take into account the growing pressures faced by a recruitment crisis and an ageing population.

It would be wise to keep a sense of proportion. Healthcare is a notoriously expensive business, and the NHS rightly insists buildings and equipment are maintained to an extremely high standard.

Many of the buildings at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital are now approaching 40 years old, and the newer Princess Royal Hospital celebrates its 30th anniversary next year. This might not be old for an office block or factory, but to meet the standards of a 21st century health service, it is inevitable repairs will be needed.

This problem is not confined to one trust, but exists right across the NHS. And while it should be seen as no cause for alarm, this does pose a wider question of how the health service will need to be funded in years to come.

Last year Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust spent £3.8 million on trying to clear this backlog, but the repair bill has continued to grow.

What happens if we experience another cold winter on the scale of the last one? It is difficult to see how the circle can be squared without – directly or indirectly – diverting funding for long-term maintenance towards more immediate demands for patient care.

As people live longer with ever-more complex conditions, the pressures on our health service are only ever going to get worse, but this must not come at the expense of deferred maintenance.

A radical rethink of how the NHS is funded is needed. It would be better if this was done sooner rather than later.