Over £4 million secured to upgrade and refurbish local hospitals
- Government providing allocations of £600 million to upgrade and refurbish hospitals
- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust to benefit from 19 projects – worth £3,214,000
- Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to benefit from 6 projects – worth £1,000,000
The Health Secretary has announced that hospital staff, patients and visitors to hospitals in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will benefit from refurbished wards, brand new electrics and upgraded ventilation systems.
The Government has announced allocations of £600 million to tackle critical maintenance work in hospitals across England, including 19 projects in the UHNM NHS Trust (responsible for Royal Stoke and County Hospitals) and 6 projects in Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (responsible for Haywood, Leek Moorlands, Longton Cottage and Bradwell Hospitals). This comes following representations from MPs including Stoke-on-Trent South’s Jack Brereton that funding was needed to ensure Stoke-on-Trent’s hospital network could continue to provide for local people.
Together this will see more than an additional £4 million being invested locally, which could include building new or refurbishing buildings to deliver key services, upgrades to electrical infrastructure, improvements to ventilation systems, works to improve fire safety and the replacement of hospital lifts. The work will be completed by March 2021.
The money is part of a £1.5 billion announced by the Prime Minister in the summer to level up hospital infrastructure across the NHS. While £600 million will be spent on these critical maintenance upgrades, the remainder will be spent on modernising mental health facilities, expanding A&E capacity and improving infection control ahead of winter.
As last year’s General Election, the Conservatives promised to invest in the NHS to ensure NHS staff have world-class facilities to provide care for patients. Since August last year, the Government has confirmed £850 million to upgrade 20 hospitals and £3.7 billion to help deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030. Last month’s Spending Review announced a dedicated £1.2 billion for NHS new hospitals in 2021-22. Good progress has also been made on the Conservatives’ pledge of 50,000 more nurses by 2025 – with the latest statistics showing there are already 14,800 more nurses in the NHS than a year ago.
Commenting, Jack Brereton MP said:
“Our NHS have done an incredible job during the pandemic and I am delighted local hospitals in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire will benefit from Government funding to carry out vital maintenance work over the coming months.
“These crucial projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide the highest standards of care for patients, helping our NHS to provide even better services after the pandemic.”
Also commenting, Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP said:
“Alongside delivering on our manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals and 20 major hospital upgrades across the country, this investment will help our NHS build back better.
“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.”
