The latest data shows that hospitals and other NHS facilities account for £13.8bn of the government’s estimated £48.6bn maintenance backlog, meaning almost 30 per cent of all outstanding public-sector repair costs are linked to NHS properties.
The findings come amid continued concerns about the condition of NHS buildings, with reports in recent years highlighting issues such as mouldy maternity wards, gas exposure, and crumbling hospitals, all of which create severe safety risks affecting both patients and staff.
Based on historic growth trends, Property Inspect estimates that, by the end of this financial year, the NHS backlog could reach £16.2bn – an annual increase of 6 per cent.
Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, operations director at Property Inspect, said: “The NHS is now carrying a repair bill that would have seemed unimaginable a decade ago. With the backlog approaching £15bn, the scale of the challenge facing healthcare estates teams is enormous.
“Behind these figures are buildings that patients, doctors, nurses, and support staff rely on every day. Nobody receiving treatment or providing care should have to worry about the condition of the building around them or whether maintenance issues could pose a risk to their health and safety.
“What these numbers demonstrate is the cost of deferred maintenance. No organisation can avoid maintenance indefinitely without consequences. By the time a roof is leaking, damp has spread through a building, ventilation systems are failing, or structural defects require urgent attention, the cheapest opportunity to resolve the issue has usually already passed.
“Regular inspections, detailed condition reporting, and proactive maintenance programmes are essential because they allow problems to be identified and addressed before they escalate into major remediation projects. Catching issues early not only helps protect building users but can save significant amounts of public money over the long term.
“As maintenance liabilities continue to grow across the public sector, preventative maintenance must become a priority. Investing in inspections and early intervention today is far less costly than dealing with major failures tomorrow.”