Over £4.3 million will be spent to improve hospitals serving South Cumbria.
The Government cash has been given to the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust to tackle long-term issues including leaky pipes, poor ventilation and electrical issues at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal.
Projects include a new £2 million maternity and bereavement ventilation system, a new roof for Furness General Hospital, which will cost £900,000, a new £800,000 roof for the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, £350,000-worth of fire safety improvements and £252,000-worth of replacement end of life equipment for washing instruments.
Scott McLean, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of the trust, said: “This is fantastic news for our hospitals and the communities we serve as we will be able to make much needed improvements to our buildings and equipment.
“Our aim is always to put patients first and give them the best experience possible, so this funding will enable us to revitalise our estate for everyone’s benefit.”
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flooding emergency departments, faulty electrical systems shutting down operating theatres, and mothers giving birth in outdated facilities that lack basic dignity.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.”
Fixing the backlog of maintenance at NHS hospitals will help prevent cancellations, with services disrupted over 4,000 times in 2023/24 due to issues with poor quality buildings, a release from the trust said.
