‘Falling to bits’: NHS faces £16 billion maintenance crisis

Patient safety is being put at risk by “decrepit” NHS buildings, experts have warned, as new figures show the maintenance bill has risen by more than 15% to almost £16 billion.

The sum outstrips the total cost of running the NHS estate, which was £14 billion in 2024-2025, according to NHS England data.

Health commentators warned that hospitals with “flooded corridors” and “roofs at risk of falling in” are impacting care and patient safety.

The latest Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) shows that the cost to eradicate the backlog of NHS repairs in England increased to £15.9 billion in 2024-2025.

This is up by 15.7% on £13.8 billion reported a year earlier.

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

Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “Critical parts of the NHS are falling to bits, literally, after years of underinvestment nationally. The safety of patients and staff is at risk.

“We can’t keep wasting money propping up ageing buildings not fit for purpose.”

He added: “Eye-watering sums are needed just to patch up buildings and equipment which are in a very bad way right across hospital, mental health, community, and ambulance services. We need to make the NHS as modern and winter-proof as possible, but the waiting list of essential repairs keeps getting longer and costs are soaring.”

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Source: Medscape, 17 October 2025