The Government has announced more than £1.5 billion of investment for over 950 NHS hospital projects across England, targeting ageing buildings, urgent safety problems and the growing pressure caused by extreme weather.
The Department of Health and Social Care said more than £200 million will fund 10 major hospital schemes, while over £1.3 billion will be directed towards maintenance, safety and resilience improvements across the NHS estate.
The funding forms the first allocation from the Government's £6.75 billion Estates Safety Fund rather than an entirely new £1.5 billion funding pot.
More than 950 projects approved
The wider programme covers more than 950 schemes intended to tackle problems including fire safety, ageing ventilation systems and electrical equipment.
More than £32 million is specifically being directed towards projects involving cooling, ventilation and overheating as hospitals adapt to more frequent periods of extreme heat.
Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said hospitals had traditionally concentrated on winter pressures but were increasingly having to deal with extreme heat and sustained pressure throughout the year.
She said the investment was intended to make NHS hospitals safer and more resilient and help services remain open when pressure is greatest.
Ten major hospital schemes receive more than £200m
Ten larger schemes will receive more than £200 million between them.
They include £41 million to improve operating theatres at Bristol Royal Infirmary, £32 million for two new operating theatres at the Royal Free Hospital in London and £26 million for a new pathology building at Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport.
Wycombe Hospital will receive £25 million for a new clinical building, while another £25 million will be used to improve a mental health unit at St George's Hospital in Stafford.
The John Howard Centre in London will receive £25 million for refurbishment, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead will receive £12 million for maternity facilities and Lister Hospital in Hertfordshire will receive £11 million for a new children's ward.
A further £15 million will fund 14 new bedrooms and improvements to mental health facilities at the Crystal Centre and Linden Centre in Essex, while £1 million will allow planning to begin for the replacement of an ageing tower at Southend Hospital.
NHS told to prepare for heatwaves and flooding
The Government said this summer's extreme temperatures had demonstrated the need for hospital infrastructure to cope with conditions beyond the traditional winter pressures.
Cooper has instructed the NHS to consider heatwaves and other safety requirements, including greater resilience to flooding, when preparing the next round of projects.
Examples in the current allocation include funding to replace cooling equipment supporting sensitive imaging at Manchester Royal Infirmary, replace air conditioning at Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire and restore cooling capacity for operating theatres at St Peter's Hospital in Ashford.
Funding comes from existing £6.75bn estate programme
The £1.5 billion allocation comes from the £6.75 billion Estates Safety Fund established as part of the Government's longer-term health capital programme.
The Royal College of Surgeons of England welcomed the first allocation but warned that sustained investment would be necessary. It said the NHS maintenance backlog is estimated at £15.9 billion and argued that additional surgical capacity would also be required to meet waiting-time targets.
The Government says the projects have been proposed and prioritised locally by the NHS and that the initial list has been approved to proceed to detailed design. Final costs and the scope of individual schemes remain subject to future business-case approvals.
The programme sits alongside the Government's 10 Year Capital Plan, under which the health capital budget is scheduled to rise to around £15 billion a year by 2029-30.