NHS raises alarm over 'dangerous' hospital sites

Hospital buildings in England are in such a dilapidated state that they risk fires, floods and electrical faults, internal NHS trust documents reveal, with leaders saying conditions have become "outright dangerous".

- Denis Campbell Michael Goodier

Official papers from NHS trust board meetings show how staff and patients are put at risk by an alarming array of hazards due to weaknesses in hospitals' infrastructure.

Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said parts of the health estate were so run-down that "some patients are being treated in unsafe and sometimes outright dangerous facilities".

Taylor pinned the blame on "decades of underinvestment" in the health service's capital budget - used to repair and replace buildings and equipment - which meant the NHS received "woefully" less funding than comparable countries.

A Guardian analysis of hospital board papers found that Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport was in such a state of rapid decline that 13 different parts of it are classed as "at serious risk of imminent breakdown".

They include the pathology unit, mortuary, Bobby Moore cancer unit, chest clinic, datacentre and electricity substation.

Minutes from the hospital's board meeting in October also revealed that its intensive care unit was at "risk of service disruption from leaks from the plant room above", that 15% more of the hospital poses a "significant risk" than did so in 2021 and that it was likely to face a growing number of lawsuits because its worsening disrepair would cause "increased health and safety incidents".

Doncaster and Bassetlaw trust is facing major safety risks at the three hospitals it runs, its board was told last month. Among the most serious was the "increased risk to life and property in the event of fire due to current inadequacy of fire compartmentation" - fire-resistant material intended to stop flames and smoke advancing to other parts of a building.