Plea for Health Secretary to come see for himself the 'dilapidated' state of Stepping Hill Hospital
Local politicians in Stockport have called on the the Health Secretary Wes Streeting to visit Stepping Hill Hospital after the government said it couldn't afford to pay for long-awaited building repairs.
The site still uses some buildings which were built in 1905 and recently had to evacuate wards to protect staff and patients after ceilings collapsed.
The decision not to guarantee money for Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport has caused fury and the leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Mark Hunter, said it's ''frankly astonishing'' that it's not a priority for the Government.
It comes months after hospital bosses said the bill to fix the dilapidated estate has reached £130m.
Over the course of just four months this year, Stepping Hill has seen one of its major outpatients buildings condemned and demolished, followed by two 'unexpected and unrelated' ceilings collapsing in its radiology department and its critical care unit.
Those incidents have led to a serious dip in the capacity for outpatients appointments and the hospital's intensive care department being out of action for days.
Councillors in Stockport passed a cross-party motion calling on the Government to provide urgent funds to restore the site.
Cllr Hunter, a Liberal Democrat, said: "We are beyond disappointed at the latest U-turn by the Labour government.
"Our motion was supported by all parties in the chamber, where many members spoke of the poor state of disrepair the hospital is in.
"It is quite frankly astonishing that given the circumstances, that this isn’t a priority for the Government. "
The Liberal Democrat motion was passed with an amendment from Stockport Labour that acknowledged the Mr Streetings previous commitment to provide the money the NHS needs nationally, but urged him to prioritise Stepping Hill, given the extent of the repairs needed.
A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We have inherited a broken NHS, with many hospitals in a state of disrepair, meaning patients have not been able to access the care they so desperately need.
"Repairing and rebuilding our crumbling hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan.
"We recognise the importance of strategic, value-for-money capital investments to get the NHS back on its feet.
"As well as vital reform, we will ensure the NHS has the funding it needs as we build a health service fit for the future."
Earlier this week Stockport's Labour MP Navendu Mishra, who has been raising the problems at Stepping Hill in Parliament for years said he would be speaking to the health secretary about the lack of funding.Mr Mishra said: "I'll be telling the health secretary that I want the appropriate funding to resolve the dilapidated estate issues.
"We're an urban area and we need to prioritise that. Stepping Hill staff are trying to provide a first-class service, how can they do that when the building is falling down around them?"
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...