‘National embarrassment’: Bill to repair NHS buildings tops £17bn

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By Daniel Pye

The bill to bring crumbling NHS buildings back to a minimum expected standard has climbed to more than £17 billion, maintenance backlog figures have revealed.

Health experts described the state of NHS buildings as a “national embarrassment”, while doctors warned about the difficulties of working in deteriorating hospitals.

Almost £10 billion, more than half of the funding needed, is for buildings that are deemed at significant or high risk.

Overall, the bill to clear the backlog of work required to bring the NHS estate up to standard has increased by 9.1% compared to last year, according to the Estates Returns Information Collection for 2025/26.

The bill is a measure of how much funding is needed to restore buildings to a good state and refers to maintenance work that should already have taken place rather than any that is planned.

The King’s Fund said “the dilapidated state of parts of the NHS is a national embarrassment”, with patients and staff dealing with outdated equipment, faulty technology, concrete roofs at risk of collapse and sewage leaking through corridors.