Hospital bosses face repair bill of £63m

OUTSTANDING maintenance work in West Wales hospitals adds up to more than £63 million, a report by experts has found.

The Hywel Dda NHS Board faces a massive backlog of repairs and the amount needed to fix Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, has shot up.

But board chiefs say they are pouring millions into improving the state of hospitals including Prince Philip in Llanelli and West Wales General in Carmarthen.

Nationally, the total repairs bill now stands at £505 million.

Hywel Dda Health Board chief executive Trevor Purt said: "We are investing a great deal of capital into hospitals in West Wales, not only to improve accommodation and update equipment, but also to create new health facilities for the population we serve.

"This includes a combined investment of approximately £60 million into the front-of- house project at Bronglais General Hospital, Aberystwyth, and the extension to the breast care unit at Prince Philip Hospital."

Significant increases have been reported in backlog costs for Prince Philip hospital in Llanelli, though trust chiefs have not commented on those.

Mr Purt said: "In addition, we have submitted plans to the Welsh Assembly for a multi-million pound investment into engineering works at West Wales General and Prince Philip hospitals.

"This will address, on a priority basis, improvements identified in the NHS Estates in Wales 2008/09 report, including engineering works such as new plant installations, electrical works and improvement of estates equipment such as air-conditioning units.

"It should be emphasised that the Estates in Wales report identifies potential risks, which are then managed by individual health boards on a priority basis.

"These repairs are not affecting services to patients.

"The significant repairs backlog for Carmarthenshire hospitals are among the lowest in Wales but we are not complacent and continue to improve and modernise our estates across the Hywel Dda region as funding allows."

The Welsh Lib Dems, meanwhile, have accused the Assembly government of failing to prioritise the issue.

Lib-Dem health spokesman, Peter Black AM, said: "A year ago, we realised the situation was dire and called on the Government to take action.

"The minister made it clear that this was not a priority and, as a result of her inaction, the situation is now even worse."

But an Assembly Government spokesman said a further £300 million for schemes had already been approved and were due to start before April next year.

"This means that in addition to the repairs, we are investing in new facilities right across Wales," he said.

shaun.greaney@swwmedia.co.uk