Stepping Hill Hospital to be given £2.6m for repairs
Stepping Hill Hospital will be receiving £2.6m to help fund 'vital' maintenance work.
It's part of a £750m investment from the government, shared between Stepping Hill Hospital and around 400 other medical centres across the UK.
At Stepping Hill, the money will go towards repairing water systems, electrical systems, heating, energy, and also basic interior fabric and fixture improvements.
Stockport MP Navendu Mishra (Labour) said: "I recently met with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to discuss the state of Stepping Hill hospital, and the urgent investment it deserves so I welcome that this Labour Government continues to deliver on its promise to residents in Stockport to make our NHS fit for the future with the vital maintenance that our local hospital desperately needs.
"Across the country, fixing the backlog of maintenance at NHS hospitals will help prevent cancellations, with services disrupted over 4,000 times in 2023/24 due to issues with poor quality buildings.
"The hospital funding package was confirmed in last year's Autumn Budget, in which an extra £26 billion was secured for the NHS by the Labour Government. [...]
"I want to thank all NHS staff at Stepping Hill hospital and across Stockport for their continued hard work and dedication."
While the national £750m investment has been welcomed by healthcare leaders, there have also been calls for more funding. The British Medical Journal described it as a 'lukewarm' reception.
Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: "With the NHS maintenance backlog currently standing at £13.8 billion, this really is just a drop in the ocean."
Hazel Grove MP Lisa Smart similarly welcomed the investment, but said this was a 'fraction' of the cost of the required repairs.
"Simply put, this money does not even touch the sides of the repair bill, and while every penny is desperately needed, we should not think that this is close to what must be provided", Ms Smart said.
"Too many people have been let down because the buildings at Stepping Hill are not in good enough condition to let staff deliver the care people need."
However, Health Secretary Wes Streeting maintained that the funding will help make the NHS 'fit for the future'.
"A decade and a half of underinvestment left hospitals crumbling, with burst pipes flooding emergency departments, faulty electrical systems shutting down operating theatres, and mothers giving birth in outdated facilities that lack basic dignity", Mr Streeting said.
"We are on a mission to rebuild our NHS through investment and modernisation."
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