sponsored by HEALTH SECTOR NEWS


Maintenance backlog hits £16 bn, prompting fresh warnings


NHS estate maintenance bill rising is deeply worrying, health leaders warn. Responding to the publication of the latest NHS Estates Returns Information Collection data showing the estimated cost to eradicate the NHS’s backlog maintenance has risen to £15.9 bn, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The continued rise in the NHS maintenance backlog bill is deeply worrying but unfortunately not surprising given the health service has been starved of capital investment for more than a decade. This has left the NHS with crumbling buildings and aging infrastructure and estate in desperate need of extensive repairs that can be unsafe for patients and staff. “Health service leaders welcomed


the extra capital investment the government has already committed as well as its prioritisation of trusts that need to tackle issues around reinforced autoclaved aerated


n NHS Providers and the NHS Confederation have confirmed plans to merge, paving the way for a new organisation to represent frontline NHS organisations across the healthcare system from April 2026.


n UK infrastructure services, construction and property group Kier has expanded its healthcare team naming Rebecca Garcia as alliance director, Bonnie Chu as alliance design director, and Rachel Anderson as social value lead.


n Assa Abloy has become the exclusive distributor of gate hardware supplier D&D Technologies in the UK and Europe.


concrete (RAAC). “But the scale of the rising maintenance backlog – up 15.7 per cent on 2023/24 with the cost to eradicate the high risk backlog rising 28% to £3.5 bn – shows just how much of an impact private investment could make across the


service including in primary and community care. So, we are urging the government to reconsider allowing provider trusts the freedom to explore private capital investment opportunities to build new facilities, which would free up public funding to tackle the maintenance backlog.”


New lab part of Hertfordshire pathology hub


The Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) has completed a major milestone in the development of its new shared pathology hub with the opening of a Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory. The facility will support a


more efficient, centralised and sustainable pathology service for acute hospitals, community providers and GP practices across the region. Construction partner Walter Lilly appointed specialist contractor Medical Air Technology (MAT) to design and deliver the facility, drawing on MAT’s experience in high-containment laboratory environments. Initial design concepts were refined by MAT and


developed into a full design-and- build scheme. The project forms part of the


wider transformation of pathology services in line with the national programme stemming from Lord Carter of Coles’ review of NHS efficiency. His report highlights that ‘the provision of high-quality clinical care and good resource management go hand-in-hand. All Trusts should therefore grasp the use of their resources more effectively’. MAT says that the establishment


of the new shared pathology network is one example of how this is being achieved, adding that ‘the shared pathology service is sustainable for hospitals, community services and GPs, and patients, and is an exciting stage in the drive towards improved efficiencies across


all NHS facilities’. The hub required a Containment


Level 3 (CL3) laboratory for processing pathology samples in order to protect staff, the public, and the environment from potentially infectious pathogens. The new suite includes a


circulation corridor, ante room, CL3 laboratory, dark room, autoclave and roof level location for air handling units, extract air plant, runaround pumps, condensers and motor control panels. All work was completed in compliance with current standards and guidance including the HSE ACDP document Management, Design and Operation of Microbiological Containment Laboratories; and COSHH Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. The design brief required a substantial amount of glazing, which MAT engineered to meet stringent sealability criteria. The laboratory was also designed for chlorine dioxide fumigation – a first for MAT – requiring three overnight efficacy tests conducted in darkness due to the compound’s sensitivity to UV light.


22 Health Estate Journal January 2026


n The newly opened Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds, run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and constructed by I&G, has opened. It is the first of its kind in the UK.


n Safety and regulatory compliance service provider Compliance Group has appointed Scott McKay as Managing director for its fire division.


n Bupa-owned Cromwell Hospital has opened a significant new clinical extension into the adjoining building. The 33,000 sqft extension is a newly refurbished healthcare space.


n The UK’s first NHS National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) is set to open in Nottinghamshire, run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). This £105 m, 70-bed facility will provide specialist care.


n The roof structure has been completed at the new Centre for Living Well in Stockport – marking a key milestone in the transformation of the former St Thomas’ Hospital into a modern care facility.


n Air Handling Unit (AHU) manufacturer IV Produkt has completed a major expansion of its headquarters in Växjö, Sweden. The expansion includes over 5,000m² of new production facilities.


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