Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS hospitals to get vital upgrades as repair backlog tackled

Patients across the two areas will benefit from a major investment in hospital infrastructure, as the Government begins tackling the long-standing maintenance backlog in the NHS.

Around £9,230,000 will be invested into hospitals across the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust area to improve infrastructure and carry out essential repairs and upgrades.

This includes South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital, and works are listed on the Government’s website as “improvements to electrical systems, energy systems and ventilation systems.”

Details of how the Government funding will be distributed across Sunderland and South Tyneside’s hospital sites, and what specific works are proposed at each site, are currently unknown, although updates are expected in due course.

The funding boost forms part of a £750 million national package to upgrade more than 400 NHS sites.

A statement on the Government’s website noted the funding was announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 and included “capital funding for 2025 to 2026 to address critical infrastructure and safety risks in NHS hospital buildings”.

The Estates Safety Fund aims to “invest in relatively small scale but important building safety works”.

This includes “fixes to leaking roofs” and “upgrades to faulty electrical wiring”, as well as “addressing fire safety requirements, new air handling units and other schemes identified by systems as local priorities”.

The Government statement added the national funding would “support works in a range of different types of facility, including maternity and mental health.”

A published national list sets out the NHS trusts that have been successful in securing funding, along with a summary of their planned projects and the facilities in scope.

To view the list, visit the Government’s website here.