ALMOST £100million must be spent to bring hospital buildings up to scratch in south Essex, it has been revealed.

The NHS has warned that due to the backlog of maintenance at both Southend and Basildon hospitals, £90million needs to be spent at both, to make sure “the right quality of care is provided.”

At least £50million needs to be spent at Basildon Hospital, with £42.8million needed in Southend.

The Echo reported last week that building work was under way at a new £9.7 million building at the former main entrance of Southend Hospital.

The new building will feature 30 day care beds, and a discharge lounge for patients.

Meanwhile, £4.8million of work is being carried out at Basildon Hospital, to boost the quality of emergency care.

Eamon Malone, chief estates and facilities officer for the mid and south Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: “Southend Hospital has a schedule of prioritised maintenance. Every year the schedule is reviewed and areas prioritised for investment.

“This means we are able to maintain and manage the site to a high standard, minimising any risk to patients, visitors or staff.

“This includes the upgrading of the electrical system and completing improvements to the delivery of the oxygen supply, which saw increased demand as a result of Covid-19.”

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: “The backlog is now broadly equivalent to the annual cost of running the entire NHS estate.

“More worrying still, over half of this is for work of high or significant risk.

“In short, this problem poses an increasing threat to safety.”

Mr Hopson said it is also impacting on the response to the pandemic, with a “dramatic” rise in demand for oxygen in recent months placing a strain on supply.

NHS Providers warned that the speed at which the NHS estate is falling into disrepair is putting patients’ lives at greater risk 

The figures show £5.5million was needed to eradicate high-risk issues to avoid serious injuries to patients, major disruption to services or “catastrophic failure” at Southend Hospital.

This figure sits at £21million at Basildon Hospital.