Hospitals to receive £9.2m for repairs

A hospital trust is set to receive a £9.2m government investment for repairs.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust (STSFT) hospitals will be given the money to carry out essential upgrades, such as improvements to electrics and fixing roofs.
The trust's sites include South Tyneside District Hospital and Sunderland Royal Hospital and details of how the funding will be distributed are yet to be confirmed.
STSFT has been approached for a comment.
The funding boost forms part of a £750m national package to upgrade more than 400 NHS sites, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
A statement on the government's website said the Estates Safety Fund was announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 and included "capital funding for 2025 to 2026 to address critical infrastructure and safety risks in NHS hospital buildings".
The fund's purpose is to "invest in relatively small scale but important building safety works", it said.
This included fixing leaking roofs, upgrading faulty electrical wiring and addressing fire safety requirements, as well as other schemes identified locally.
The government statement added the national funding would "support works in a range of different types of facility, including maternity and mental health".