Ministers have been warned that delays in hospital rebuilds could lead to closures in London, affecting patient care and safety.
London: So, it looks like some major hospitals in London might be in real trouble. MPs and NHS officials are saying that if the government keeps delaying the rebuild plans, we could see some of these hospitals close down.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting just announced that the plans to rebuild and refurbish hospitals under the New Hospitals Programme are pushed back by up to ten years. That’s got a lot of people pretty upset.
Some of the hospitals that are really feeling the heat include Charing Cross, St Mary’s in Paddington, and Hammersmith. They won’t even start their rebuilds until 2035-2038! And St Helier in Sutton? They’re looking at 2032 at the earliest.
Trust executives are saying their hospitals are falling apart. They’re playing a game of “whack-a-mole” just to keep things running. Some floors are literally sinking under the weight of hospital beds, and they’re dealing with power and water outages all the time.
Local MP Bobby Dean has been vocal about the state of St Helier. He mentioned that the place is a mess—sinking floors, leaking ceilings, and broken lifts. It’s tough to move patients around when the lifts don’t work.
He also pointed out that the hospital is either too hot in summer or freezing in winter. There are even floods in some areas, and parts of the building are being held up with tarps and wood. Not exactly what you want in a hospital, right?
Dr. James Marsh, the Trust’s chief executive, said patients have been let down yet again. He directly challenged Mr. Streeting to come see the state of the buildings himself.
Professor Tim Orchard, who runs several of these hospitals, warned that they can’t wait fifteen years for repairs. They’re already at risk of a major failure.
He mentioned that they’ve had to move some services out of St Mary’s to prevent it from collapsing into Paddington Station. That’s pretty serious!
Streeting’s announcement in Parliament said the new timeline is “honest and credible.” He claims he’s secured about £3 billion a year for these projects, which he says is the largest investment in the NHS since the last Labour government.