More than £1.5bn will be invested in NHS estates across England, with funding supporting hundreds of maintenance, safety and resilience projects and 10 major hospital schemes.
The investment comes from the Government’s £6.75bn Estates Safety Fund, which was established to address critical maintenance and infrastructure issues across the NHS estate.
More than £1.3bn will be allocated to maintenance, safety and resilience projects across NHS trusts, while more than £200m will support 10 major hospital schemes.
The funding is expected to support more than 950 projects, including work to improve ventilation and cooling systems, upgrade electrical infrastructure and address other critical maintenance requirements.
More than £32m of the allocation will specifically support cooling and ventilation projects, helping hospitals manage higher temperatures and improve the resilience of their estates.
The 10 major hospital schemes receiving funding include:
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Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport: £26m for a new pathology building
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Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol: £41m for operating theatre improvements
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Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead: £12m for maternity facilities redevelopment
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Wycombe Hospital, Buckinghamshire: £25m for a new clinical building
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Crystal Centre/Linden Centre, Essex: £15m for 14 new mental health bedrooms
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Lister Hospital, Hertfordshire: £11m for a new children’s ward
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Southend Hospital, Essex: £1m for planning to replace the ageing hospital tower
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St George’s Hospital, Stafford: £25m for improvements to a mental health unit
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Royal Free Hospital, London: £32m for two new operating theatres
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John Howard Centre, London: £25m for refurbishment of long-term mental health facilities
The £1.5bn allocation is separate from the New Hospital Programme (NHP), which has its own funding for the construction and major redevelopment of hospitals selected for the programme.
However, the Estates Safety Fund can also support significant new-build and redevelopment work where it addresses urgent NHS estate needs, including those 10 major hospital schemes receiving more than £200m in this allocation.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the investment would help NHS organisations address infrastructure issues that can affect the delivery of healthcare.
The funding forms part of wider plans to improve the condition and resilience of the NHS estate, alongside the Government's longer-term capital investment programme.
The announcement follows the Government's commitment to increase NHS capital investment, with the 10-year capital plan setting out plans for increased spending on healthcare infrastructure and the replacement and refurbishment of ageing facilities.
The Estates Safety Fund allocation is intended to address more immediate estate requirements, including critical maintenance and infrastructure work.
The Government said the investment would help hospitals remain operational and resilient throughout the year, including during periods of increased demand and extreme weather.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the funding would help the NHS “fix crumbling buildings and ageing equipment”, while supporting the wider programme to modernise NHS facilities.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the projects would also help reduce the risk of disruption caused by failures in hospital infrastructure.
The £1.5bn allocation is separate from the £15bn annual NHS capital budget planned for 2029-30, with the Estates Safety Fund specifically focused on addressing safety, maintenance and resilience requirements across the existing estate.
