Five hospitals at risk of collapse to be rebuilt

Five hospitals that are deemed astatine hazard of illness due to the fact that of deteriorating factual infrastructure are to beryllium rebuilt, the authorities has announced.

The hospitals - Airedale successful West Yorkshire, Queen Elizabeth King's Lynn successful Norfolk, Hinchingbrooke successful Cambridgeshire, Mid Cheshire Leighton and Surrey's Frimley Park - were each built utilizing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The lightweight factual was utilized successful roofs, floors and walls betwixt the 1960s and 1980s.

It has a constricted lifespan and each 5 are successful urgent request of rebuilding.

At immoderate sites roofs are having to beryllium propped up with scaffolding and posts.

The sites person been added to the government's New Hospital Programme, which the authorities says volition spot 40 caller hospitals built by 2030.

This though includes implicit new-builds and sites undergoing large refurbishments and alterations.

A BBC probe past week recovered enactment was yet to commencement connected 33 of them.

The authorities besides announced it would beryllium spending much than £20 cardinal connected the gathering programme.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: "These 5 hospitals are successful pressing request of repair and are being prioritised truthful patients and unit tin payment from large caller infirmary buildings, equipped with the latest technology."

Another 2 hospitals - West Suffolk and James Paget successful Norfolk - that person important amounts of the lightweight factual were already portion of the infirmary gathering programme.

Labour's Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused the authorities of over-promising and under-delivering. "It is not wide that the authorities has the wealth oregon the clip to present 40 caller hospitals by 2030.

"After 13 years of neglect, the NHS property is crumbling. The Conservatives virtually didn't hole the extortion portion the prima was shining and present diligent information is astatine risk. Their clip is up," helium said.