Data released by NHS Digital indicates that the total amount of money needed to eradicate the backlog of maintenance in the NHS has risen once more, up to £6.5 billion for 2018/19. In 2017/18 the figure was £6.0 billion and in 2016/17 it was £5.5 billion. This amount is known as ‘backlog maintenance’ and is a measure of how much would need to be invested to restore a building to a certain state based on a state of assessed risk criteria. It does not include planned maintenance work, it is work that should already have taken place.
The figures are based on the results from the 2018/19 Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC), a mandatory collection for all NHS trusts including Ambulance trusts. It comprises information relating to the costs of providing and maintaining the NHS Estate including buildings, maintaining and equipping hospitals, the provision of services e.g. laundry and food, and the costs and consumption of utilities.
Full data can be found at NHS Digital