Doncaster Royal Infirmary

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—(Gerald Jones.)

16:56:00

I am grateful for the opportunity to make the case in this Chamber for the repair and refurbishment of Doncaster Royal Infirmary. This is not the first time I have raised this issue in this place, such is its importance to my constituents. Doncaster Royal Infirmary is at the heart of our community in Doncaster. For many of us, including myself, it is where we were born and rely on during some of the most difficult and painful moments of our lives. It is with great sadness that I come to this Chamber to say that after consistent underfunding, our hospital is in dire need of repair. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the NHS staff who have dedicated their careers to caring for the patients at the hospital. When I worked as a prison officer, I spent many hours on escorts at DRI and saw for myself the commitment of its staff. We live in a time where pressures on the NHS are immense, and staff across the country face unbearable conditions as they try to support patients in a system that desperately needs reform. I am pleased that this Government are committed to enacting change within our NHS for the benefit of both patients and the staff who treat them. In Doncaster, our dedicated NHS staff face added pressure. Doncaster Royal Infirmary faces one of the highest repair backlogs in the country. The East Ward tower block, which houses some of the most vulnerable patients, faces critical infrastructure risks and safety concerns, and therefore is at the very top of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw teaching hospitals’ list of priorities. Other areas with a backlog of repairs include operating theatres, the critical care department and the women and children’s hospital.

As my hon. Friend will know, in April 2021 a leak occurred at the women’s hospital at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. The water then flooded the area and went into the electrical systems, and a fire broke out. Some 60 patients were impacted and had to be evacuated, including premature babies. Thanks to the efforts of the amazing hospital staff, as my hon. Friend has mentioned, no one was hurt, but the damage was substantial, and it impacted larger parts of the hospital. Does my hon. Friend agree that we need to learn from such incidents, and that it makes absolute sense, both financially and for people’s safety, to proactively manage repairs and do the maintenance that is required?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and that incident showcased how desperate the situation is. It is a testament to the staff and the team at the trust that no one was hurt, and that the repair work that needed to be done happened immediately. Other areas where a backlog remains include the operating theatres. According to the Doncaster Royal Infirmary refurbishment plan, the operating theatres at the hospital do not meet modern standards for space.

17:00:00

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—(Gerald Jones.)

Across the hospital, there remains infrastructure that dates back to the 1930s. Imagine all the advancements we have made in science, innovation, technology and medicine since then, yet Doncaster patients are treated in a building that has not been updated in line with any of that. Most worryingly, a recent report concluded that there would be an “increased risk to life” were a fire to occur in Doncaster and Bassetlaw teaching hospitals. That is due to the age and infrastructure of the buildings, and the electrical works, which do not meet the needs of a modern-day hospital. In spite of the catalogue of urgently needed repairs, Doncaster was not successful in its bid to secure a new hospital under the previous Government. Despite promises made by a string of Health Ministers, our application for crucial funding from the new hospital programme was denied by the Conservatives. That was a bitter blow to the community. We now know that the funding promised for the programme never existed—it was a work of fiction. That does not just affect the hospitals included in the programme; the implications ripple across all hospitals that desperately need investment. In Doncaster, we are doing all we can to improve health provision for residents. That includes the work that Mayor Ros Jones and the trust are doing to set up health on the high street, providing appropriate health provision in the city centre. That will not only improve and quicken the service, but increase footfall on the high street. The trust announced in December that as part of a wider £19.8 million investment project, some refurbishment works will be completed at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. That is welcome, but it is not the overall solution. As a result of not being included in the new hospital programme, the Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospital trust has come up with a thorough and extensive on-site rebuild and refurbishment plan. The estimated cost in 2023 for the full refurbishment and a new building in front of the east ward tower block was up to £356 million, the cost for work on the theatres £35 million, and a refurbishment of the women’s and children’s hospital, mentioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher), would cost up to £87 million. That would also help to generate some extra capacity, which is much needed in the current climate. This week, I visited Doncaster Royal Infirmary with my hon. Friend and the Minister to show her the extent of the repair backlog, and to demonstrate the urgency with which we need action. I am grateful to the Secretary of State for Health for meeting me and my right hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster North (Ed Miliband) this week to talk through the DRI refurbishment plan, and the support we need to get the rebuild work done. That work is also supported by my right hon. Friend the Member for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough (John Healey). The plan lays out the detail of proposed refurbishment works, not just to clear the repair backlog, but to ensure that core services are protected and a safe site can be ensured for a minimum of 20 years. I now ask the Government for action. I ask them for capital investment to clear the repair backlog, and to support the refurbishment and building programme, so that the people of Doncaster can access good-quality secondary care in a safe hospital. I ask the Government to support the staff at Doncaster Royal Infirmary in doing their jobs safely and effectively. I ask the Government to make sure that our hospital is fit for the future.

17:03:00

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster Central (Sally Jameson) on securing a debate on this really important issue for her constituents. Since her election, she has been a committed champion for Doncaster Royal Infirmary, and I thank her for her tireless efforts. She is absolutely right that the promises made by the previous Government were hollow and built on sand. Even for the hospitals that made it into the new hospital programme, the money simply was not there. They let down the people of Doncaster. On Monday, I had the privilege of visiting Doncaster Royal Infirmary, along with my hon. Friend and our hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher), and witnessed the outstanding care that staff are providing despite significant infrastructure challenges. I entirely agree with my hon. Friend’s comments about the situation, and about the pressure that the staff find themselves under. Staff and patients deserve better than a hospital prone to floods, fires and equipment failures, some of which I saw for myself on Monday. Doncaster Royal Infirmary now has a backlog-of-maintenance bill of approximately £114 million, and the constant need for critical repairs leaves scarce resources for developing and enhancing facilities. That is the reality facing Doncaster Royal Infirmary and hospitals nationwide after years of under-investment by the previous Government. Reversing the trend and repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS fit for the future. That is why the Chancellor announced that health capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025-26, representing record levels of capital investment in healthcare. I am pleased that works to address some of the most pressing issues at Doncaster Royal Infirmary are under way, with £19.8 million confirmed for the refurbishment and relocation of the critical care unit. That will deliver a safer and more accessible environment for the most vulnerable patients. Supporting projects are already in progress, including the relocation of the surgical same-day emergency care department. While I accept that this by no means addresses all the issues raised today, it is nevertheless a project that will deliver much-needed safety improvements. NHS planning guidance published today sets out the NHS’s operational capital envelopes, national capital programmes and allocation processes for 2025-26. I recognise that the guidance will be of interest to Members who wish to understand the impacts on their constituencies, but as we are here to discuss Doncaster Royal Infirmary, I will focus on the funding opportunities available for that hospital. The Government are backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025-26 to empower local systems and ensure that funds are allocated according to local priorities. NHS England confirmed today that South Yorkshire integrated care board, which is responsible for Doncaster Royal Infirmary, has been allocated £107 million in operational capital to spend on its capital priorities next year. In addition to the annual operational capital allocations, the Government have allocated £750 million to an estates safety fund for 2025-26, which will focus on the worst safety risks across the NHS estate. South Yorkshire ICB has been allocated £19 million of that funding on the basis of need, critical infrastructure risk, estates incidents, and the recent maternity estates survey. Systems have been asked to prioritise their estate safety allocations to deliver maximum safety benefits locally. Their plans will be reviewed by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that national and regional priorities are addressed effectively and schemes represent value for money. In some cases, estates safety funding may also be used to initiate multi-year schemes when that represents the most effective approach. I strongly encourage the trust to discuss options with the ICB for allocating some of its operational capital and estates safety funding to repairs at Doncaster Royal Infirmary. Let me also draw attention to the £1.35 billion of capital funding allocated for constitutional standards recovery in 2025-2026. Although it is not targeted directly at repairs, Doncaster Royal Infirmary may be able to benefit from some of the £24 million that has been allocated to South Yorkshire ICB to support its progress towards achieving constitutional standards for my hon. Friend’s constituents. I encourage the trust to explore possible options with the ICB that could address constitutional standards recovery as well as critical repairs, maximising value for money and, crucially, benefiting patients who deserve much better. The Government recognise that, like Doncaster Royal Infirmary, many hospitals across the country need funding to overhaul their digital infrastructure. That is why we are investing more than £2 billion in NHS technology and digital in 2025-26 to run essential services, increase productivity, improve cyber-security, enhance patient access, and ensure that all trusts have electronic patient records. I thank Doncaster and Bassetlaw trust for its co-operation on the implementation of a system-wide electronic patient record, and I want to reassure the trust that this investment in digital and technology will be available for projects beyond electronic patient records. The Government understand that long-term certainty about capital funding will be essential to addressing the critical infrastructure issues at hospitals such as Doncaster Royal Infirmary, and across the NHS estate. Capital budgets beyond 2025-26 will be determined through the current spending review, which concludes in June 2025. In conclusion, I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster Central for raising this important issue, and for her continued support, and that of her colleagues, for Doncaster Royal Infirmary. I extend my thanks to the staff of Doncaster Royal Infirmary for hosting my insightful visit, and for their candour in explaining to me how they have got into this situation in recent years. I hope to return when the new critical care unit is open. The Government are committed to repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate. It will take time—we have inherited a shocking situation—and I look forward to working with colleagues on this vital issue across the country in the coming years. Question put and agreed to.

17:10:00