Over £10million pledged to take care of urgent repair projects at Lincolnshire hospitals

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust is to get a share of a £600million national fund being put forward to eradicate the maintenance backlog in NHS hospitals.

It is part of £1.5 billion capital funding announced by the Prime Minister in the summer to help the NHS ‘build back better’, which also includes plans to modernise mental health facilities, expand A&E capacity and improve infection control ahead of winter.

The money will help tackle almost 1,800 urgent maintenance projects across 178 English health trusts by March 2021, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced,

It includes £1.8 million to United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust for a new trust-wide roof infrastructure programme.

A further five projects at the hospital trust, adding up to a value of £9,637,000, will also be funded.

Director of Finance and Digital at ULHT, Paul Matthew, said: “This announcement is great news for our hospitals and will fund essential water, roofing, electrical, heating and fire infrastructure replacement projects.

“This will provide our NHS staff with the facilities they need to deliver safe and top quality care for our patients.”

The Midlands has been allocated £101 million for 299 maintenance projects across 30 Trusts. NHS hospital staff, patients and visitors across all regions in the Midlands will benefit from refurbished wards, repaired lifts, brand-new electrics and upgraded ventilation systems by next spring, thanks to the critical government investment.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said: “These crucial maintenance projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide world-class care to their patients this winter, helping ensure the NHS is always there for you when you need it.”

Trusts were provided an initial allocation based on need and were asked to put forward suitable projects that would deliver maximum impact and the best value for money, and could be completed by March 2021. The successful projects are evenly distributed across England, with more than half of projects in the Midlands, North East and Yorkshire; and North West regions.

The announcement is on top of an additional £450 million investment from government to improve hospital A&Es this winter, including Lincoln’s, by expanding waiting areas and increasing the number of treatment cubicles, helping to boost A&E capacity by providing additional space, reducing overcrowding and improving infection control measures. Lincoln County Hospital was told in September it was getting £7 million of Government funding to transform and increase the size of the emergency department, incorporating a new entrance, new waiting room, more space, a new 12-bed priority assessment unit and a new resuscitation area with twice as many cubicles for the sickest patients. Younger patients and their families will benefit from a new paediatrics area with its own dedicated waiting room, treatment cubicles and a sensory area.

There will be additional treatment rooms for mental health patients, a new sensory room for dementia patients, a new ambulance bay with entrances directly into the resuscitation and major areas of the department and space to accept patients from ambulance crews with improved speed and safety.

The Prime Minister also pledged £23.3m in funding for a new and expanded A&E at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital.

The Government has also pledged to upgrade 20 hospitals and help deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030.

Following last month’s Spending Review, £1.2 billion has been ring-fenced for NHS new hospitals and upgrades in 2021/22, plus £4.2 billion for NHS operational capital funding.

The Treasury has also committed an additional £235 million for further hospital maintenance works for the next financial year beginning in April 2021. There will be a further boost for technology and digital projects including AI labs and remote GP appointments, diagnostic equipment and a science hub.