Revealed: The UK hospitals shamed for being so rundown they are ‘outright dangerous’, according to NHS chiefs
Multiple NHS hospitals are now so rundown they pose a serious risk to patient and staff safety, internal health service documents reveal.
Named and shamed facilities include Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport, three hospitals in Doncaster and Bassetlaw, Croydon hospital in south London, and multiple hospitals run by Barts Health trust, also in the capital.
Hazards include fires, floods from ageing pipes and tanks, electrical issues and even potentially dangerous bacterial infection from decaying infrastructure.
Some of the patients deemed at risk include cancer patients, those receiving life-saving care and even some specialist services caring for vulnerable babies.
A body representing senior NHS leaders said some hospitals are now so rundown that ‘patients are being treated in unsafe and sometimes outright dangerous facilities’.
The findings, from a Guardian analysis, found 13 parts of Stepping Hill hospital are classed as being at serious risk of ‘imminent breakdown’.
This includes a pathology unit, a mortuary, a cancer unit, a chest clinic, a data centre and a electricity substation.
Minutes from a Stockport NHS Foundation Trust meeting also state the hospital’s intensive care unit where the most critical ill patients are treated is at risk of leaks from a plant room above.
The documents also warn the trust is likely to face a growing number of lawsuits from staff and patients due to declining infrastructure.
Multiple NHS hospitals are now so rundown they pose an active risk to patients and staff internal health service documents reveal. Stock image
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is facing issues that pose an ‘increased risk to life’ due to an inadequate level of fire-resistant material designed to slow the spread of a blaze to give time for evacuation.
The Trust, located in South Yorkshire, is also facing problems with its cold water storage tanks which are now so old and in disrepair they are considered at high risk of producing the bacteria legionella, which can cause deadly disease.
Additionally, the ventilation systems controlling the flow of air in operating theatres and ‘other critical areas’ are now unfit for purpose and at risk of break down.
Finally, electrical infrastructure is deemed so old that the Trust has warned it could fail and disrupt clinical care.
At Croydon hospital, NHS documents warn it is facing issues with the internal supply of chemotherapy drugs after shutting the facility that makes these crucial medications for refurbishment.
While hospital bosses have outsourced the supply of these drugs to the private sector in the interim, they are concerned that this will be unable to keep up with demand.
13 parts of Stepping Hill hospital are classed as being at serious risk of ‘imminent breakdown
Croydon hospital is also said to have decaying electrical sockets in critical areas like operating theatres, special care baby unit and X-ray department.
Fellow London trust Barts Health, one of the largest in the country, is also facing issues at some of the five of the hospitals it runs.
This includes ‘insufficient body freezer spaces to prevent the decomposition of patients in storage’ and water leaks that are a risk to staff safety.
Newham General Hospital is specifically named as one with troubles because cladding there is ‘non-compliant to building regulations’ for fire safety.
Another Barts hospital facing infrastructure problems is Whipps Cross hospital.
This facility is considered a flood risk due to inproper drainage and a risk of electrical safety.
Alarmingly, trust documents specifically highlight a risk to babies due to the age of specialist equipment designed to help them breathe if needed.
It comes as Matthew Taylor, chief executive of health service representative body, NHS Confederation, said the problems with dilapidated NHS estate were due to what he called ‘decades of underinvestment’ in the service’s budget for refurbishments.
Another Barts hospital facing infrastructure issues is Whipps Cross hospital includes issues with equipment that vulnerable babies use to breathe
Commenting on the report health minister Andrew Gwynne said blamed the previous Government for the problems.
‘Years of neglect and underinvestment left NHS buildings crumbling, staff forced to use outdated creaking equipment, and patients paying the price. It is unacceptable for patients to be treated in these conditions,’ he said.
NHS data shows the current estimate to fix all currently needed repairs stands at £13.8billion.
Of this £2.7 billion is considered ‘high risk’ meaning they are so urgent that if unaddressed could risk catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services as well as safety problems that could result in injury.
