Torbay Hospital faces £62m maintenance backlog as safety upgrades are planned

Torbay Hospital is facing a maintenance backlog of more than £62 million.

Officials at the health trust confirmed the figures following a Torbay Weekly inquiry, with safety improvements planned across the ageing estate, to address the most urgent risks.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust said the latest £2.367 million handout, secured on 7 November 2025 from the Department of Health and Social Care’s Estates Safety Fund, will tackle some of the most urgent risks in what is one of the oldest hospital estates in the NHS.

The trust told the Torbay Weekly that while the funding is welcome, much more work is required to modernise their facilities. 

Vital upgrades to reduce risks to patients

The trust said the new funding will address the “most immediate risks”, including:

• Upgraded ventilation for cancer services, improving air quality and safety for patients undergoing treatment
• Fire safety enhancements, strengthening systems that protect staff and patients
• Water system improvements, ensuring reliable and safe water supplies critical for clinical care
• Roof edge protection, reducing the risk of falls for contractors and maintenance teams

These works are designed to prevent service disruptions, including cancelled appointments and operations, an issue that has affected NHS trusts nationally as older estates deteriorate.

A spokesperson for the trust said the investment is “crucial in addressing some of the most urgent infrastructure risks across our ageing estate”.

‘Much more work is required’ despite improvements

Torbay Hospital’s estate is described by the trust as “heavily dilapidated”, with £62,253,523 in backlog maintenance reported in the 2024 NHS Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC).

However, the trust stressed this figure reflects only the cost to restore the site to a basic operational condition. 

It does not include the much larger cost of modernising buildings or bringing them in line with today’s clinical and compliance standards, work that could cost two to five times more, depending on the area of the estate.

Previously, the Conservative government had promised a complete rebuild of the site but the current Labour administration said the £350m project could not be delivered yet.

In September 2024 Health Secretary Wes Streeting placed the hospital on a list of projects “under review” and in January 2025 announced he was placing it at the bottom of “Wave 2”, which meant construction of the long-planned redevelopment was not expected to begin until between 2033 and 2035, a delay the trust described as “disappointing”.

What is ERIC?

The Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) is an annual NHS dataset that reports the condition and performance of all hospital buildings in England.

It records measures such as:

• Backlog maintenance costs
• Fire safety compliance
• Building age and overall condition
• Energy and utility usage

The backlog figure represents how much money is needed to bring a hospital estate back to an acceptable, safe operational standard. 

It does not indicate the cost required to fully modernise the site, meaning the true financial need is often significantly higher.

Delays to the New Hospital Programme

The trust also raised concerns about the delayed timetable for the government’s New Hospital Programme. 

Construction for Torbay Hospital’s long-planned redevelopment is now not expected to begin until between 2033 and 2035, a delay the trust described as “disappointing”.

The trust said they continue to advocate for “urgent investment” to rebuild and modernise the estate, which serves a growing population across Torbay and South Devon.

Earlier funding still leaves a significant gap

Earlier this year, Torbay Hospital received an additional £7.3 million for air-handling unit replacements, theatre refurbishments and structural and electrical improvements.

While the trust said the combined funding will “go a long way in maintaining safety”, it stressed a significant funding gap remains.

More than £500 million is expected to be required to deliver a new hospital capable of meeting future clinical demand.

What the upgrades mean for residents

For local residents, the trust said the work now under way will help improve the safety and reliability of services while longer-term plans progress.

“These upgrades are an important step toward improving the safety and quality of care at Torbay Hospital,” the trust said. 

“For residents, this means greater assurance that our facilities are being modernised to provide the safest and most effective care possible.”

However, it warned that further investment remains “urgent” if Torbay Hospital is to meet the needs of future generations.