Torbay Hospital receives £8m for fire safety improvements in Tower Block
Funding follows fire service notice and will support extensive safety work
Devon MPs today welcomed news of an £8million government cash lifeline for Torbay Hospital – but one asked: “Why did it take a crisis for this to happen?”
It was announced yesterday that the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, had secured the money for fire safety work after an enforcement notice was served by the fire service.
It said the building lacked adequate escape routes for patients, visitors and staff. Recent work had helped, but more was needed.
The trust has now confirmed that fewer patients will be able to stay overnight in the hospital while the work is carried out. It says the new funding, which comes on top of £1.8million announced last month, will support ‘substantial work’ to improve fire safety in the ageing Tower Block at the centre of the hospital.
The three Liberal Democrat MPs whose constituencies are served by the hospital welcomed the news.
But Torbay MP Steve Darling Steve Darling MP for Torbay said: “Serious questions need to be asked about why it took a crisis to break at Torbay Hospital for this money to be released.
“It is excellent news that we have secured the necessary funding for the Tower Block from NHS England’s regional team. This will allow the trust to carry out the fire safety work needed while protecting as much hospital capacity as safely possible.”
South Devon MP Caroline Voaden said the news was welcome, and added: “Torbay’s estate is one of the oldest in the NHS, and parts of the hospital are simply not fit for patients or staff.
“If we want a 21st-century standard of healthcare, we must invest in the infrastructure to deliver it. Failing to do so is a false economy. I’m relieved that the remedial work can now begin and I will keep pushing for investment in the rest of the hospital.”
And Newton Abbot MP Martin Wrigley said: “I am confident that the required work will be carried out as quickly as possible with the minimum of disruption. My colleagues and I will continue to push government for a long-term upgrade to the hospital that is so desperately needed.”
The trust said the safety of patients, staff and visitors was its absolute priority. The fire safety risks were ‘not new’ and had been managed for years.
Recent changes have been made to reduce the risks, but the trust says the number of patients staying overnight in the Tower Block will have to be reduced to create the space needed for the work.
No services are being closed and all will remain within Torbay and South Devon, with one service moving temporarily to Totnes Hospital.
Work is expected to begin on the first ward floor in spring 2027 and then progress through the Tower one floor at a time. The first ward floor is expected to be completed in summer 2027, with the second expected to be completed in early autumn. This is expected to allow two full wards to return to operation while work continues on the remaining floors.
The overall programme is currently expected to be completed by February 2028.
Trust chief executive Joe Teape said: “There are no easy answers when managing some of the oldest NHS estate in the country or making changes of this kind.
“We now have the further investment we need to carry out the compartmentation work in the Tower and a practical way forward that keeps services within Torbay and South Devon.
“I am sincerely grateful to our teams and colleagues for continuing to work through the detail, challenge our thinking and make sure we have properly considered what this means for the people and communities we serve.
“I also want to recognise the strong support we are receiving from our NHS and local authority partners and I am grateful for the constructive way Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and the Care Quality Commission have engaged with us as we have worked through what needs to happen.”