Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust bucks trend with all buildings in full working order

The growing number of hospital buildings in a poor state nationally means the repair bill has climbed to £11.6 billion last year.

NHS Providers, the body which represents NHS hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services, said the rate at which the bill is rising is "alarming", and urged the Government to provide much-needed investment in broken buildings.

But the latest NHS Digital figures show no buildings at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust needed restoring to certain standards as of March.

Such work would have covered everything from leaky gutters and faulty lifts to critical electrical and structural issues in hospital buildings.

It was one of only a handful of NHS trusts to have no buildings in disrepair.

Nationally, the maintenance backlog rose by more 13 per cent last year, including £2.4 billion earmarked to eradicate the high-risk backlog.

These issues should be addressed with urgent priority to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services, or safety deficiencies liable to cause serious injury.

Chief executive of NHS Providers Sir Julian Hartley said: "The cost of trying to patch up creaking buildings and out-of-date facilities is rocketing. Far too many NHS buildings and equipment are in a very bad way, and the situation is just getting worse.

"The safety of patients and staff is at stake. To provide first-class care, the NHS needs safe, efficient and reliable buildings, facilities and equipment."

In October, the Department for Health and Social Care confirmed 42 sites have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) and must be repaired, but none of these were at Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust.

Sir Julian said the presence of the collapse-risk concrete "is a symptom of a far bigger and long-running problem".

A DHSC spokesperson said: “We have invested significant sums to upgrade and modernise NHS buildings so staff have the facilities needed to provide world-class care for patients, including £4.2 billion this financial year.

“Trusts are responsible for prioritising this funding to maintain and refurbish their premises, including the renewal and replacement of equipment.”