ALMOST £25m is needed to renovate buildings at Barnsley Hospital to a proper standard - with £5.2m required to fix high-risk issues which must be addressed urgently to ‘prevent catastrophic failure’ - the Chronicle can reveal.
The latest statistics from NHS Digital show that a total of £24.7m is needed to restore buildings at the hospital.
This work should have already taken place and covers everything from leaky gutters and faulty lifts to critical electrical and structural issues in buildings.
Of this, £5.2m is required to fix high-risk issues, which NHS reports say must be addressed with urgent priority to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services, or safety deficiencies liable to cause serious injury.
Locally, Sheffield Children’s Hospital will need £22.7m - though none of this includes high-risk issues.
NHS Providers, the body which represents NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services, said the rate at which the bill is rising is ‘alarming’ and urged the government to provide much-needed investment in broken buildings.
Chief executive of the organisation, Sir Julian Hartley, said: “The cost of trying to patch up creaking buildings and out-of-date facilities is rocketing.
“Far too many NHS buildings and equipment are in a very bad way, and the situation is just getting worse.
“The safety of patients and staff is at stake.
“To provide first-class care, the NHS needs safe, efficient and reliable buildings, facilities and equipment.”
In October, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed 42 sites have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and must be repaired.
However, Barnsley Hospital bosses have already confirmed that they had investigated their clinical buildings for RAAC - but there was no evidence to suggest it was present.
Sir Julian said the presence of the collapse-risk concrete ‘is a symptom of a far bigger and long-running problem’.
“Many trusts - mental health, community, hospital and ambulance services - need major investment to refurbish ageing buildings and tackle risks to the safety of patients and staff,” he added.
“We need the government to shift gear and inject a significant shot in the arm of capital investment in the NHS.”
A DHSC spokesperson said: “Trusts are responsible for prioritising this funding to maintain and refurbish their premises, including the renewal and replacement of equipment.”
A Barnsley Hospital spokesperson added: “The hospital was built in the 1970s and site facilities have evolved continually since then.
"All NHS estate assets become categorised as 'high-risk' over time as they age, and these facilities become higher priority for investment and modernisation.
"The trust has a rolling programme of estate investment and improvements to ensure we are providing the best possible facilities to host our services.
"Recent examples are our A and E refurbishment following the opening of our Children’s A and E, and our new Intensive Care Unit.
"The next major refurbishment project is our theatre department.”
