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 | | Friday, 26 April, 2002, 15:50 GMT 16:50 UK Billions needed for NHS repairs  Many hospital buildings are in need of repair A large proportion of the extra billions promised for the NHS over the coming years could be used to fund essential repairs. Health Minister John Hutton has said that the cost of tackling a backlog in essential maintenance in hospitals across England is estimated at �3.16bn. The figure, revealed in a parliamentary written reply, includes the cost of repairing hospital buildings and ensuring trusts meet fire and health and safety regulations.
Shadow Health Secretary Dr Liam Fox added that the bill suggested much of the extra government spending on the NHS could disappear without patients seeing any changes on the ground. Money fears He said: "This is a shockingly high figure, which indicates that a great deal of the money being poured into the NHS might disappear without patients noticing. "We have suspected for some time that maintenance has been the main casualty of the government's obsession with NHS accounting practices. "This answer reveals that the true picture is much worse than anyone thought." Chancellor Gordon Brown announced last week that NHS funding is to rise from �65bn this year to �87bn by 2005. Health Secretary Alan Milburn has pledged that the extra money will make a difference, promising thousands of extra doctors and nurses, new hospitals and primary care centres. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Health stories now:  Links to more Health stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||
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