Hospitals in South East given £67m for repairs

Hospitals across the South East will receive nearly £67m in government funding for small-scale building upgrade works.

The cash comes from a £750m fund that the chancellor announced in the 2024 autumn budget to address critical infrastructure and safety risks in NHS buildings, according to the government.

Fixes supported by the money included upgrades to faulty wiring, patching leaking roofs and addressing fire safety risks.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "Patients and staff deserve to be in buildings that are safe, comfortable and fit for purpose."

In Kent, William Harvey Hospital, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital and Kent and Canterbury Hospital will share £13.2m for upgrades.

Medway Maritime Hospital will get £4.8m for better ventilation systems, repairing machinery and replacing its nurse call system, the government said.

The Maidstone Hospital was granted £3.5m for a series of works while mental health facilities Coleman House in Dover and Priority House in Maidstone will share £400,000.

The government has awarded £2.9m to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, £1.4m to Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, and £1m to Darrent Valley Hospital in Dartford for improvements to "energy systems".

Councillors granted planning permission for a two-storey extension to East Surrey Hospital in September.

Royal Surrey County Hospital, Haslemere Hospital, and Milford Hospital have been awarded a combined £2.9m for building fabric, plant equipment and roof works, while St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey will receive £3.2m.

Elsewhere in Surrey, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust was awarded just over £10m for upgrades to Wexham Park Hospital and Frimley Park Hospital.

The government has pledged to rebuild Frimley Park Hospital at a cost of up to £2bn by 2030, as about two-thirds of the building is made from unstable reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

In Sussex, Conquest Hospital in St Leonards-on-Sea and Eastbourne District General Hospital will share £8.5m.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust was awarded £11.8m for works at four of its hospitals while Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has been granted £2.3m, which it will spend across six sites.

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust was awarded £120,000 for its Brighton General Hospital and Chailey Clinical Services facilities.

The government previously pledged to rebuild Eastbourne District General, Conquest Hospital and Bexhill Community Hospital, but said it did not expect to begin work until at least 2037.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust will receive £810,000 for upgrades to its sites.

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