Somerset’s healthcare facilities are set to receive urgent repairs funded by over £8.5 million from the central government, targeting critical infrastructure issues across three hospital sites. This funding is part of a larger £750 million national investment announced by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on May 30, aimed at addressing longstanding problems such as leaking pipes, outdated electrical systems, and inadequate ventilation in more than 400 hospitals, mental health units, and ambulance sites.
The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust will channel these funds into Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Yeovil Hospital, and Burnham-on-Sea Community Hospital. The repairs will focus on upgrading water and energy systems, enhancing electrical safety, refurbishing the building fabric and fixtures, and improving fire safety measures. These improvements are expected to prevent thousands of operation cancellations and appointment disruptions caused by infrastructure failures.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasized the urgent need to reverse years of neglect: “A decade and a half of underinvestment left hospitals crumbling, with burst pipes flooding emergency departments, faulty electrical systems shutting down operating theatres, and mothers giving birth in outdated facilities that lack basic dignity. We are on a mission to rebuild our NHS through investment and modernisation.”
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Simon Corben, director and head of profession for NHS Estates and Facilities at NHS England, welcomed the funding, noting that many NHS buildings have fallen into disrepair, risking both patient safety and staff wellbeing. He stressed the importance of accountable, efficient use of the funds with a strong focus on improving frontline care.
Repairs in Somerset are scheduled to begin over the summer and continue into the autumn, with attention on key facilities at the three hospital sites.
Local political voices have also responded. Gideon Amos, Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington, acknowledged the new funding as an important step but underscored the need for faster modernization, particularly a new maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital. Amos said, “This £8.5 million, largely for Musgrove, is no substitute for the new maternity unit that we urgently need—but it marks a first small victory. I will keep pushing the government to provide the significant funding necessary to restore our NHS to its former excellence.”