£4.3m government cash boost will help keep Morecambe Bay hospitals safe

Furness and Westmorland General Hospitals will also benefit from the cash boost, which will be used to tackle maintenance problems such as leaky pipes, roof works and fire safety issues, helping to prevent thousands of cancelled operations and appointments.

NHS services were services were disrupted more than 4,000 times in 2023-24 due to issues with poor quality buildings.

The funding comes as part of a combined £1.2billion promise to deliver public infrastructure improvements in hospitals and schools through the government’s Plan for Change.

More than 400 hospitals, mental health units and ambulance sites will be handed £750m to tackle long-term problems.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, 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flooding emergency departments, faulty electrical systems shutting down operating theatres, and mothers giving birth in outdated facilities that lack basic dignity.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 wide range of facilities and services will benefit, including more than £100m for maternity units to enable better care for mothers and their newborns.

This will fund critical improvements such as replacing outdated ventilation systems in neonatal intensive care units, creating optimal environmental conditions for vulnerable babies and their families during challenging times.

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 frontline care.”

The government has already delivered more than 3m additional NHS appointments since June 2024, exceeding its 2m target.

Additionally, more than 1,000 GP surgeries are being modernised to enable 8.3m more appointments annually.

It has also invested in new technology, including 13 DEXA scanners delivering 29,000 extra bone scans and £70m in radiotherapy machines delivering up to 27,500 additional treatments per year by March 2027.

Lancaster MP Cat Smith has welcomed the new investment.

She said: “Whilst the new-build Royal Lancaster Infirmary has been necessarily delayed due to the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) crisis, with five more affected hospitals across the country taking priority for patient safety, I’m pleased that the Government’s recent land purchase funding for a new site marks a significant step in getting Lancaster a modern state of the art hospital and should prevent the loss of thousands of appointments to Victorian-era maintenance issues in the longer term.”