Plan to reduce £114m hospital maintenance backlog

Non-essential buildings at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital may be sold off

Hospital buildings in Shropshire could be sold off to help reduce a £114m maintenance backlog.

A report prepared by managers at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) has identified that many of its buildings are old and costly to maintain.

The five-year plan, which looks at the future of its properties, includes selling "non-compliant or non-essential" buildings, with the focus to be on fewer, higher-quality sites that are closer to patients in the community.

Work is also currently taking place to change the way hospital services are delivered in future, with planned operations at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and emergency care at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH).

The report, which will be presented to the trust's board on Thursday, highlighted the scale of the problem, with 68% of the departments at the RSH considered poor, including critical care, operating theatres and inpatient wards. Whilst at the PRH, about a quarter of buildings are in need of urgent attention.

As a result, the trust has resorted to "ad hoc solutions", such as temporary and modular accommodation.

Under the plans, staff from SaTH could also share office space with other NHS organisations, such as the Shropshire Community Trust - they already share a chief executive and chairman.

Managers have said although its estate requires "urgent strategic capital investment", they will look to reuse existing buildings where "suitable and economically viable".