(1 day, 7 hours ago)
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Mr Tom Morrison (Cheadle) (LD)
Stepping Hill hospital sits in my constituency. It is one of the busiest hospitals in the region, with over 91,000 patient admissions each year. It serves Stockport, parts of Greater Manchester and parts of Derbyshire. I have raised the issues faced by the staff and patients there many times in the House and been told repeatedly that the Government are working with Stockport NHS foundation trust and the integrated care board to solve them, but time and again we are let down by the lack of real action.
On Friday I visited the hospital with my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart), and we met senior teams, clinicians, nurses and operational staff.
Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)
On the point about nurses at Stepping Hill hospital, as the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Lisa Smart) knows, my mother did her nurse training at Stepping Hill back in the 1970s. Since it is my mother’s birthday tomorrow, will the hon. Gentleman join me in wishing my mum a very happy birthday and acknowledging the hard work and commitment of the nurses at Stepping Hill hospital?
Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)
Mr Jogee, I am sure we would all like to wish your mother a happy birthday, but we are discussing the future of Stepping Hill hospital.
Mr Morrison
I absolutely respect that intervention, and I do wish the hon. Gentleman’s mother a happy birthday. If it were possible, we would all do a rendition of “Happy Birthday”, but we will leave that for another time.
This was not my first visit to the hospital—I have been there several times, both as an elected representative and as a patient—but it was the angriest and most emotional I have ever been while visiting it. On our visit, I saw staff and patients’ dignity taken away from them, I saw a building completely and utterly unfit for purpose, and I saw a health system that was left to rot, quite literally, over the years of Conservative neglect now being given only plasters by the current Government.
I am not exaggerating when I say that the visit was harrowing. To see staff and patients suffer in buildings that leaked, surrounded by walls that were rotting and floors that were sinking, was truly awful. It painted a stark and terrible picture of the way our health service is being treated by decision makers in Whitehall, with £120 million being spent each year just on mitigating the damage being caused by the hospital’s crumbling estate. This is an incredibly expensive sticking plaster that does not solve the underlying problems, but instead makes things worse. A comprehensive repair of Stepping Hill’s estate would cost just over £134 million, and the Government must commit to providing that amount to get the hospital back on its feet. It would save money in the long term and mitigate the huge risks the estate poses.
Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) (LD)
My hon. Friend is absolutely right: what we saw on our visit was harrowing. He talks about value for money and how over £100 million is going on just maintaining the buildings as they currently stand. That is literally plugging holes in the wall. I am sure he agrees that a better use of the money would be to spend capital on building a new additional site in Stockport town centre. That would free up space on the site that is no longer fit for purpose and would be a much more sensible, value-for-money way to spend the money.
Mr Morrison
I thank my hon. Friend for bringing that idea forward. Yes, absolutely; I will talk later about how a new site in Stockport could alleviate the stress on Stepping Hill and save the Government a lot of money.
Stockport NHS foundation trust is clear that the £134 million would be over and above any Government funding already allocated. The trust simply cannot make the efficiency savings being asked of it when it is firefighting each day. I want to tell the House what this looks like and how this firefighting impacts the day-to-day lives of the staff and the patients they look after.
On our visit, nurses told me of the huge issues they face regarding infection control. There are genuine concerns that the outdated and inefficient building makes infection control even harder. Beds are too close to each other and people are unable to move around within a safe distance of each other. Parts of the site predate the NHS and, as such, the corridors are so small that two wheelchairs or trolleys cannot go past each other. Shockingly, the hospital has only around 20% of the side rooms it needs to isolate infectious patients, and in the electrocardiography zone there are no handwashing facilities. The nurses told me that during covid, they had to create massive one-way systems through the wards, making care and movement even more complex. That was a logistical challenge at a time when the NHS was already being tested to breaking point.
The building itself is also dangerous. On the visit, I was shown the relentless water damage and leaks across the estate. When it rains, staff race around the hospital putting out buckets to catch the water dripping through the ceiling, sometimes on to vital equipment.
Ward and shower rooms have become completely unusable because of leaks, which have further reduced capacity. I have seen wards where sewage comes up through the drains, meaning that nurses have to clean up rather than look after the patients they should be tending to. The glass windows in the cardiology unit are at a huge risk of falling out, posing a serious safety risk.
Clay pipework from 1905 is still in use and leaking, meaning that escaping steam is rotting the floors beneath. Some floors are now physically sinking. As I entered the building, I saw that the hospital’s café was closed for that very reason—I could actually see where the floor was beginning to slope down. Scaffolding is literally holding up the glass ceiling in the main entrance— a worrying welcome for patients entering the building.
Mr Morrison
Many of the hospital’s wards are Nightingale wards, which cannot support contemporary care. As I have already mentioned, these wards do not have enough side rooms. That poses a massive risk in terms of infection control, but it also poses challenges when providing patients with the privacy and dignity they need. When patients are receiving end-of-life care, the hospital cannot always provide a separate room, and instead beds are curtained off to give families the privacy they need. To ensure that people are aware, staff place a candle on the ward entrance to tell others that someone is having their last moments with their friends and family. That was the hardest thing to see on our visit. It makes me so angry and ashamed that families in my constituency are saying goodbye to their loved ones in this way.
It is not just the physical infrastructure that needs addressing. Some staff talked me through how outdated computer software and internet connections mean that they have to use memory sticks to take images from one computer to another. Some of the images are for time-critical operations, in which every second counts, yet clinicians, doctors and nurses had no option but to walk memory sticks from one computer to another, wasting precious time.
Finally, let me talk about the conditions the staff work in. The ward designs in the older buildings make staffing a serious challenge. Staff-to-patient ratios mean that nurses must look after no more than eight patients, but some wards have 14 beds, meaning that two nurses are required, despite one of those nurses being underutilised. The staff rooms are also completely inadequate; I saw one room that could fit only two people comfortably, despite there being 12 people on that ward, while the staff room on the cardiology unit, which serves 30 people, has only one toilet.
Navendu Mishra (Stockport) (Lab)
I congratulate the hon. Gentleman, my constituency neighbour, on securing this debate on an important issue for the three MPs who represent the local authority of Stockport. I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests regarding my trade union membership and being chair of the all-party parliamentary group on cancer.
All of us in this House would agree that our constituents deserve high-quality, first-class, reliable care in hospitals and from our GPs, and that the staff also deserve high-quality services. I am not sure that I agree with the hon. Gentleman’s suggestion for a new location for a new hospital—I think there should be a wider discussion, but I do not wish to take up too much time in dissecting the Stockport local plan. However, I do agree that Stepping Hill hospital is simply not adequate for patients or staff. Does he agree that in the past two years this Government have allocated £2.5 million for targeted safety works, £26 million for the construction of a new pathology building and £75 million for the Stockport NHS foundation trust over the next four years? That is a stark contrast with the previous 14 years—the coalition Government, of which his party was part, and the Conservative Government that followed.
Mr Morrison
I respect the hon. Gentleman a lot; we all work well together as Stockport MPs. Although we should never say no to money coming into the hospital, even the NHS trust is saying that this money does not touch the sides, as I have said. We need more investment, and the £134 million repair bill needs to be sorted. We can discuss the need for a different site another time; I am fully behind Stockport needing a new hospital site.
I was talking about the staff room for the cardiology unit, which serves 30 people but has only one toilet. That is not to mention the fact that the toilet windows are not frosted over, so there is a massive privacy issue for the staff. I was also told about one member of staff who works in reception in one unit and who uses an electric wheelchair. Horrifyingly, their work environment is completely inadequate, not only because the doors to the unit are not suitable for wheelchairs to go through, but because they cannot access an accessible toilet and so are forced to leave the building in which they work to go to another a few minutes away. Often they have to go out in the rain just to use a facility that they should have the right to use. That is simply a disgrace, and I cannot believe it is happening in 2026.
I asked why that person still felt the need to work there even with such basic accessibility requirements not being met. I was told that it was because they cared so much about the hospital, about Stepping Hill and about the job they do that they would not leave. That was a running theme through our visit. Despite all the issues and problems I have laid out, the staff across Stepping Hill maintain excellent standards in conditions that are working against them. They continue to provide an unbelievably caring and wonderful service. They are a credit to the NHS and to Stockport. They never complain or down tools because of the conditions; instead, they get on with the job.
My partner Lou and I sadly needed to spend time at Stepping Hill recently. Despite the awful reasons we were there, we felt protected, supported and cared for. I want to take this moment to say thank you to the staff for everything they did for us, for keeping us safe and for looking out for us. I promise here that I will always have their back and will never stop campaigning to get them the hospital they deserve.
So what is the solution? The Government announce bits of support every now and then, and they often announce the same pots of money time and again in the hope that it looks like support is there, but that does not help. We need a fully funded strategy for how Stepping Hill will be saved. There were plans for a new hospital in Stockport that were originally rejected by the previous Conservative Government. The plans would have enabled some relief for Stepping Hill and helped free up much-needed space on the estate. The plans also had backing from the trust and the council, which partnered to develop them, and the integrated care board. They pushed as much as they could. Sadly, it does not appear that the hon. Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) supported them, but we will talk about that another time.
Whatever the solution, the fact is that action is now desperately needed. We cannot go on with more debates, more questions to Ministers and the Prime Minister, more letters to the Department of Health and Social Care and more meetings with officials—the Government have to act now. For over a decade the Conservative Government left Stepping Hill hospital to rot. This Government cannot do the same, and the Minister should not allow that to happen.
I want to end with a number of questions for the Minister. First, it is clear what help is needed and required, so why have the Government failed to act so far? Secondly, is it appropriate for 30 NHS staff members to share one toilet and that an NHS worker who uses a wheelchair has to go out in the rain to access the nearest accessible toilet? Thirdly, is it fair that patients at the end of their life cannot share their final moments with friends and family in privacy and with dignity? Finally, will the Minister come to Stepping Hill hospital along with the Prime Minister, who often talks about Stockport and the work he did there, so that they can see at first hand what happens when those in Westminster and Whitehall take our hospitals for granted?
The Minister for Social Care and Mental Health (Alison McGovern)
I congratulate the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison) on securing this very important debate. Throughout it, he and other Members have paid tribute to the work that happens at Stepping Hill hospital, despite what are clearly often very difficult situations, and it is important that that is on the record.
Unfortunately, the Minister for Secondary Care, my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol South (Karin Smyth), who is the Minister with responsibility for this, could not be here this evening. I am sorry to be a poor replacement for her, but let me reassure the hon. Member for Cheadle and the House that I will report this discussion to her directly. I know that she is aware of this debate, and I am sure that she will follow up in the appropriate way with the Members concerned.
As I said, Members have rightly paid tribute to all the staff at Stepping Hill hospital. The hospital is extremely important to the communities it serves, and its patients and staff deserve facilities that are safe, resilient and fit to deliver high-quality care. I am going to make a few remarks about the overall position with capital investment and how we have got to this point, but none of that is to say anything other than that all patients and staff deserve good-quality facilities.
For too long, capital investment in the NHS was insufficient and short term, and the challenges at Stepping Hill reflect a much wider problem across the NHS estate. Capital budgets were repeatedly raided to meet day-to-day pressures, and the result is an estate carrying the consequences of years of under-investment, as has been made clear. There are no quick fixes, but we can change the way the NHS invests in its buildings, moving away from short-term fixes towards sustained investment and proper long-term planning. That is why our 10-year capital plan for health and social care is based on three core principles: more investment; greater certainty, so that investment can be planned over the long term; and greater autonomy for local leaders to decide how capital is best used.
First, we are investing more. After years of under-investment, we are providing the largest capital budget in NHS history, with annual spending rising to £15 billion by the end of this spending review period. Within this, the estates safety fund will provide £6.75 billion over the next nine years to tackle the poorest-quality parts of the NHS estate and ensure safe environments for patients and staff. We have already confirmed £1.5 billion of investment in projects through the fund, including £1.3 billion for maintenance, safety and resilience projects across the NHS estate and more than £200 million for major hospital projects. This means that more than 950 schemes are being delivered across the country.
That sits alongside around £21 billion in operational capital over this spending review period, empowering local health organisations to invest in their priorities, including their estates. We are also investing around £5 billion over the spending review period to expand and modernise diagnostic, elective, mental health and emergency services, helping to increase capacity, cut waiting times and improve urgent and emergency care performance.
Secondly, we are providing greater certainty over that investment. We have provided NHS organisations with multi-year capital allocations to 2030 and a further five years of certainty beyond that for estates maintenance funding to 2035. This stability is designed to provide the confidence needed for long-term investment decisions and responds directly to one of the key NHS capital planning challenges cited by stakeholders. Instead of planning from one year to the next, local NHS leaders can now look ahead, prioritise the most serious risks, plan investment over the longer term and secure better value for the taxpayer. That is particularly important for ageing estates like Stepping Hill, where we need to move away from repeatedly patching up ageing buildings and towards properly planned strategic interventions.
The hon. Member for Cheadle asked me about what Stepping Hill needs to put it on a different path. Local NHS leaders are best placed to understand their estates’ investment requirements and prioritise capital accordingly. The estates safety fund is designed to give regions flexibility and target that funding in this way, rather than decisions being taken centrally. That decision-making capacity is enabled by the long-term funding certainty that the Government have given them. However, the hon. Member has put very clearly on the record what is happening at Stepping Hill hospital. I will report back to the Department what I have heard tonight, and I feel sure that local NHS leaders in his region—which is also my region—will take what he has said very seriously and be in touch with him directly.
We are devolving more control to the frontline and streamlining capital approvals, giving NHS organisations more freedom to invest accordingly and respond to local need, as I have said. That approach should help projects to move forward more quickly, and it is already supporting some investment at Stepping Hill. Some £763 million of funding over the next nine years has been allocated to the north-west region through the estates safety fund, and local leaders have the flexibility to prioritise it as they wish. Stepping Hill hospital will benefit from that funding.
As my hon. Friend the Member for Stockport (Navendu Mishra) said, the hospital has been allocated £26 million for a new pathology building through the estates safety fund, protecting the vital testing services that doctors rely on. It is one of 10 major hospital schemes backed by more than £200 million nationally. Alongside that, Stockport NHS foundation trust will receive £17 million to support 11 critical repair projects at Stepping Hill, forming part of the £1.3 billion that we have committed to maintenance, safety and resilience projects over the NHS estate over the next four years.
Lisa Smart
As my hon. Friend the Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison) said, any money coming to Stepping Hill hospital is to be welcomed, and the Government should be thanked when they get things right. The briefing we have had from NHS leaders in Stockport says that the total planned maintenance costs over five years are £134 million. That is only basic maintenance—it does not account for any new building projects and does not bring the buildings up to the current standard that we would expect of any new building. I am sure that the Minister agrees that all the money needs to be spent for good value for money. Will she and colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care agree to look specifically at the project we are talking about for Stockport: a new building? The revenue cost of maintaining that building would be so much lower than continually plugging the holes—literally—with capital spend.
Alison McGovern
I understand entirely the case that the hon. Lady makes. There will be further opportunities for the region to fund projects at Stepping Hill hospital through its estates safety fund allocation. As I mentioned in response to the hon. Member for Cheadle, I urge the trust to keep working closely and effectively with the ICB and the region, particularly as other funding streams are available. The trust has been allocated another £75 million in operational capital over the next four years.
Before I get too close to the end of my remarks, let me respond directly to the other questions asked by the hon. Member for Cheadle. He mentioned issues with toilets, which sound extremely worrying; from the Floor of the House, I urge local leaders to respond. I will make sure that he and Stockport Members receive a written response to those issues and to those related to end-of-life care. Members will understand the importance of end-of-life care and what a priority it is over the coming months and years for us all, so I will look into those issues.
Navendu Mishra
Although Stepping Hill hospital is in the constituency of the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison), it serves people from Hazel Grove, Cheadle and Stockport. May I reiterate the invitation from the hon. Member—I would go as far as calling him my good friend, even though we are in different parties—to the Health Secretary and any Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care to visit Stockport and speak to volunteers, staff and patients there? Will the Minister pass on that message?
Alison McGovern
I will certainly pass that message on. As the hon. Member for Cheadle mentioned, the current Prime Minister is no stranger to Stockport, so I am sure that I do not even need to let him know what is happening there.
We are already seeing some capital investment translate into better facilities for patients at Stepping Hill. The new urgent treatment centre is now open, with five additional consulting rooms increasing capacity, improving patient flow and helping to reduce avoidable pressure on the emergency department. That builds on the hospital’s emergency and urgent care campus, which fully opened in May 2025; that is part of the £639 million of planned capital investment to support NHS performance in the north-west.
Given what we have heard this evening, I cannot pretend that what has been done resolves every infrastructure challenge at Stepping Hill—it clearly does not. The pressures facing the hospital have built up over many years and will take time to address, but we are putting the local NHS on a much stronger footing to tackle them. The reforms set out in our capital plan mean that local leaders can look beyond immediate pressures, plan investment over multiple years and target funding towards the areas of greatest need and importance, and that really matters for Stepping Hill.
Members from the borough of Stockport have raised very important issues this evening—they are absolutely right to advocate for patients and staff, and I ask them to pass on my thanks to those staff. We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge, but we are delivering vital investment to address the most pressing risks at Stepping Hill while giving local NHS organisations greater certainty and flexibility to plan properly for the hospital’s long-term future. Without doubt, there is much more to do, but this is how we move away from short-term fixes and towards a safer, more resilient Stepping Hill hospital that can continue to serve the people of Stockport for many years to come.
Question put and agreed to.