Hospitals to get £2.6m for infrastructure upgrades

The fire safety systems will be upgraded at Rampton High Secure Hospital

Several hospitals are set to get upgrades after Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust secured government funding.

Work will include improving fire safety systems, water infrastructure and electrical and energy systems at Rampton Hospital, The Wells Road Centre, Wathwood Hospital, Thorneywood Mount and Arnold Lodge Hospital.

The improvements at the sites, which offer mental health and community services across the Midlands and South Yorkshire, are due to start in the summer with the aim of completing next spring.

The trust, which runs the hospitals, said the funding would support urgent infrastructure projects and create a better environment for patients.

Old machines at Wells Road Centre will be replaced

The £2,595,000 grant is part of a national project to improve NHS buildings and infrastructure in England.

At Rampton High Secure Hospital and several others, it is hoped the money will allow a full upgrade of fire safety systems - including alarms, fire compartmentation and suppression technology.

The Wells Road Centre in Mapperley, Nottingham, will benefit from the replacement of ageing machinery.

While at Arnold Lodge, in Leicester, a specialist secure unit, the money will deliver electrical and energy system improvements.

The trust said planning work was under way to ensure the disruption was minimal.

Chief executive at the trust Ifti Majid said the funding was "fantastic news", adding: "It allows us to fast-track improvements that make our hospitals safer, greener and more welcoming places to receive care and to work."

Alison Wyld, executive director of finance and estates, added: "By tackling our highest-risk infrastructure now, we're not only reducing future maintenance costs but also supporting the trust's net zero ambitions."