Hospital’s infrastructure ‘among worst in NHS’

A south-west London hospital’s crumbling infrastructure is “among the worst” in the NHS, according to its former estates manager.

Leaking ceilings, broken lifts and sinking floors have become normal sights at St Helier Hospital, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In January, the Sutton site’s redevelopment was pushed back to the 2030s following a government review of the New Hospitals Programme.

Bobby Dean, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, called on the prime minister to take immediate action, and said there was a “very real fear that some of the buildings on the existing estate are at risk of catastrophic failure before the decade is out”.

A spokesperson from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said that they had spent £60m on repairs in the past five years.

Ken Welch, the hospital’s former director of facilities, estates and supplies, said: “I’ve seen a lot in 30 years working in the NHS, but the condition of the buildings at St Helier is among the worst.

“I’m seriously concerned about the risk of fire, particularly with the growing use of corridor care. But most of all, I’m worried about the safety of the patients.”

In January the Labour government announced it would postpone plans for a new Specialist Emergency Care Unit next to St Helier Hospital until 2033.

In 2019 then-prime minister Boris Johnson pledged to provide £500m for a new hospital in Sutton under the nationwide New Hospitals Programme.

That cost has now risen to between £1.5bn and £2bn.

Kate, a local mother, described the hospital as “run down and tired”.

“The care received from individuals at St Helier Hospital can’t be faulted, but the system is failing them,” she said.

“The hospital is not equipped with adequate facilities or staff to cope with demand. The doctors and nurses cannot provide the care they obviously want to give.

“We had to take my son to St Helier Hospital at two days old due to a lack of midwives to carry out home visits.

“The lift was out of action, so we had to climb the stairs… in any other setting, this building would not be fit for purpose.”

During Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Dean called for action so that the hospital “can survive”.

He asked: “Can the government reassure me that they will work with the local trust on the plan to maintain and adapt the existing estate to ensure that St Helier can survive all the way through the major works completed?”

Sir Keir Starmer promised Mr Dean a meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting to discuss the issue.

A spokesperson from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We continue investing in our estate to provide safe care.

“We apologise to any patients who have not received the level of care they expected or have experienced long waits – our teams continue to do the best they can under huge pressure.”