Lincolnshire hospitals boss blames "underfunding" for care delays

Patients are bearing the brunt of decades of underfunding in hospital buildings, it has been claimed.

Prof Karen Dunderdale, head of the trust that runs Lincolnshire's hospitals, said a lack of maintenance has forced staff to stop treatment and cancel appointments.

She also said A&E departments were frequently "overwhelmed" with the number of patients.

The government said repairing hospital estates was a "vital part of our ambition".

Speaking on BBC Radio Lincolnshire , Prof Dunderdale, chief executive of Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group, said: "When we see water leaks and power failures we have to stop operating, offering outpatient departments and that, ultimately, starts to back-up in our emergency departments."

A £5.6m resuscitation department was opened at Lincoln County Hospital in 2023 and £43.5m has been spent this year transforming the A&E department at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital.

But Prof Dunderdale said NHS funding overall had not kept pace with "the types of illnesses and conditions we're treating".

She said staff often see more than 130 patients for a department that can look after, comfortably, 80 people.

In a statement, the Department for Health and Social Care said the government had "inherited a broken NHS" and that its 10-year plan included investment in hospital buildings.

It added: "We will provide the investment and reform needed to get patients the care they deserve."