Lib Dems to spend £1bn a year on restoring crumbling hospitals

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to spend £1bn a year on refitting and restoring crumbling NHS hospitals if elected on 4 July.

Daisy Cooper (c) UK Parliament

Daisy Cooper (c) UK Parliament

The party's analysis has found 4.4m patients were expected to be treated in dangerous hospital buildings at the seven hospital trusts most impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) by 2030, including 2.8m over 65s and 465,000 children.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: ‘After years of failure, voters simply do not trust the Conservatives to fix the scandal of dangerous concrete in our hospitals.'

According to NHS data, only four of the 58 hospitals identified as having dangerous RAAC buildings have fixed the issue so far. None of the seven hospitals identified as the most affected by the RAAC scandal have yet had the problem eradicated.

One of these seven hospitals is Frimley Park in Michael Gove's Surrey Heath constituency, where RAAC was identified in 65% of the hospital, resulting in the closure of half of the hospital's ICU and two operating theatres at various times of the last few years.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers said: ‘Pledges of greater investment in the NHS estate are welcome, but we must not underestimate the scale of the challenge at hand. Trusts face £11.6bn backlog of essential repairs - up by more than 13% since 2021-22.

‘The next Government must commit to equipping the NHS with the resources it needs now and in the long term – and not just in hospitals but in mental health, community health and ambulance services, too.'

 

 

Waiting lists fall to 26-month low in May

Waiting lists fall to 26-month low in May

By Lee Peart 10 July 2025

NHS waiting lists fell by almost 30,000 in May to a 26-month low of 7.36m, NHSE has revealed.

'Landmark moment' or 'castle built on sand?'

By Lee Peart 02 July 2025

Healthcare leaders and stakeholders have given a mixed a response to the 10-Year Health Plan.

10-Year Health Plan to prioritise UK doctors

By Lee Peart 01 July 2025

The recruitment of UK trained doctors is to be prioritised as the Government targets a self-sufficient NHS workforce by 2035.


Popular articles by Lee Peart