Urgent repairs to start this summer to three Somerset hospitals
It's following Government funding.
Urgent hospital repairs at three Somerset sites can be carried out over the summer and autumn after more than £8.5m was provided by central government.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced on Friday (May 30) that it would be providing more than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites a share of £750m to tackle long-term problems such as leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues, helping to prevent thousands of cancelled operations and appointments.
Just over £8.5m of this funding – part of the government’s wider Plan for Change – will be directed at Somerset’s hospital, being divided between Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Yeovil Hospital and Burnham-on-Sea Community Hospital.
Musgrove’s funding boost has been welcomed by the local MP as a welcome first step towards securing further upgrades to the hospital.
Health secretary Wes Streeting MP said: “A decade and a half of underinvestment left hospitals crumbling, with burst pipes flooding emergency departments, faulty electrical systems shutting down operating theatres, and mothers giving birth in outdated facilities that lack basic dignity.
“We are on a mission to rebuild our NHS through investment and modernisation.
“Patients and staff deserve to be in buildings that are safe, comfortable and fit for purpose.
“Through our Plan for Change, we will make our NHS fit for the future.”
A total of £8,567,000 has been provided by the DHSC to the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which manages both Somerset’s acute hospitals along with its community hospitals, urgent treatment centres and mental health services.
This funding will be spent on “improvements to water systems, energy systems, electrical systems, external and internal building fabric and fixtures, and fire safety works.”
Simon Corben, director and head of profession for NHS Estates and Facilities at NHS England, said: “I welcome this funding as a long-overdue step toward tackling the unacceptable state of parts of the NHS estate.
“Too many buildings have been allowed to fall into disrepair, putting patient safety and staff working conditions at risk.
“It is now vital that NHS England and local leaders deliver – every pound must be spent wisely, with clear accountability and a laser focus on improving front-line care.”
The improvements in Burnham-on-Sea, Taunton and Yeovil will be delivered across the current financial year, with the first repairs expected to be undertaken over the summer.
Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, welcomed the funding but urged the government to speed up the modernisation of Musgrove’s facilities – including a replacement maternity unit.
He said: “I pledged that Musgrove Park Hospital and its vital need for investment would be my number one priority.
“This £8.5m, largely for Musgrove, is no substitute for the new maternity unit that we need, but this marks a first small victory for that campaign which is vital given the recent decision to transfer maternity cases to Taunton from Yeovil.
“I’ll continue to work with other Lib Dem MPs to make sure our NHS once again becomes the pride of our country as it has been in the past.
“That will require significant funding and I won’t stop pushing the government to go further to make that happen.”