Reading hospital to receive part of £100m gov funding to fix ‘creaky’ buildings

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is one of 21 trusts across the country granted seed funding to help develop a detailed plan to redevelop the hospital site. 

Last week the health secretary Matt Hancock visited the hospital and met staff. Mr Hancock said: “The trust is doing amazing work here, but I’ve seen for myself that they’re having to work in poor conditions at times.

“I fully back their plans to use this money to upgrade their older facilities so patients can get the care they need, in dedicated modern buildings.” 

However, the hospital has not yet been told how much funding it will receive, a spokesperson said. The funding is just to develop plans, and not for any building work. The planned upgrades will take place between 2025 and 2030. 

Matt Hancock outside the hospital

Steve McManus, chief executive of the trust, said: “We are delighted that we have received seed funding as part of the government’s health infrastructure plan. 

“We are already making changes to create an environment for our patients and our staff that is fit for 21st century healthcare, including how we enable more digitally based care. 

“This funding provides a fantastic opportunity for us to develop more detailed plans, working with our local communities, our partners and staff.” 

Some of the buildings date back to 1839, when the Royal Berkshire Hospital opened. It was built by local architect and builder Henry Briant.

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The funding is part of the government’s new health infrastructure plan. 

The King’s Fund, a health think tank, said: “On the face of it, the various schemes being pledged by the government certainly sound like substantial investment, but these piecemeal announcements are not the same as having a proper, multi-year capital funding plan.

“The lack of clarity around how the new schemes have been selected and how the pledges fit within the Department for Health and Social Care’s overall financial settlement makes it difficult to tell how generous the government is being.”

In August, the hospital’s Hopkins ward was evacuated following a flood caused by ageing water pipes. Staff moved all the patients off the ward onto an empty one on a different floor. 

Craig Morley, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Reading East, said: “I was born at the Royal Berks, and have spent a fair amount of time there throughout my childhood on wards in the original Victorian building. 

“It’s a fantastic hospital — but as the town has grown, its old buildings have started to creak. It’s fantastic that the Conservative government has committed to rebuild the hospital and provided money up-front to progress the business plan.”