Figures released by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to the Telegraph under freedom of information rules show the size of the maintenance backlog at the ageing facility has grown by £17m in the last five years – despite £5m being spent on repairs in the same time frame.
The release of the new cost projections comes after we reported that a deadline to make the building watertight looks set to be missed.
The area’s MP is now demanding urgent talks with Scotland’s health secretary over the rising cost of improving the building – while Inverclyde‘s MSP says the figures highlight the need for a new hospital for the area.
Hopes of a replacement for the IRH were dealt a blow when the Scottish Government put a hold on any more capital investment.
Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey said: “The figures speak for themselves with Inverclyde Royal Hospital’s backlog of maintenance reaching over £117 million.
“Despite some investment in repairs, it is clearly not enough for the scale of the problem, and, what concerns me most is that the health secretary doesn’t have a plan.
“A promise was made to upgrade the fabric of the IRH by next year – but that now looks like it’s going to be broken.
“I will be writing to the Health Secretary asking for an urgent meeting and for him to present a plan to fill this £117m gap in Inverclyde’s funding.
“Patients and staff deserve a hospital that is to the standard that our community rightly expects.”
In May concerns were raised about a failure to replace windows and the cladding at the IRH.
An action plan had previously been put in place with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, which raised concerns with the fabric of the building after an inspection and called for the work to be carried out by 2026.
A business case for the work was submitted to the Scottish Government in January but a decision on funding has yet to be made.
Five years ago, according to Labour MSP Neil Bibby, the maintenance backlog at the hospital stood at £100m.
Mr Bibby said: “These latest figures are eye-watering and show that the IRH’s maintenance backlog is only getting worse.
“A safe and secure local hospital is the least that staff and patients deserve, and the Scottish Government is badly letting them down by its failing to provide this.”
He called for the SNP to prioritise the IRH over projects like the over-budget Barlinnie Prison.
According to the figures provided in response to our FOI request, since 2022 a total of £4.29m has been spent on repairs, maintenance and upgrades.
Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan repeated his calls for a replacement hospital.
He said: “We know the IRH is an ageing building and will need to be replaced at some point in the future.
“Nearly £5m has been spent since 2022 on repairs, maintenance and upgrades to the IRH, which shows investment is taking place.
“The money required for this will likely only grow, which is why I want to see a new-build hospital for the area.
“For such a small area, Inverclyde has several large ageing public sector buildings. We can’t replace them all, but a new-build hospital would go a long way to helping deliver high-quality healthcare – not just for local people, but people across the water too who depend on its services.”
Mr McMillan blamed successive UK Governments for the lack of cash, but Mr McCluskey insisted that responsibility lay with the Scottish Government.
A spokesperson for NHSGGC added: “We have made a long-term commitment to improvement works at Inverclyde Royal Hospital (IRH), including internal works, which will commence next week.
“We also have a rolling programme of maintenance and replacement at IRH and across our estate.
“As part of this programme, we have submitted a business case for replacement of the exterior envelope at the IRH to the Scottish Government and we await the outcome of this application.”