North Tees hospital faces calls for replacement after flooding cancels 400 operations

More than 400 patients had operations cancelled after flooding affected almost every inpatient operating theatre at the University Hospital of North Tees, Parliament has heard.

Stockton West MP Matt Vickers said heavy rain overwhelmed the hospital’s drainage system on 2 June, leaving all but one of its inpatient theatres flooded. He told MPs that repairs cost £1.5 million, with a further £1 million spent rearranging the cancelled surgery.

The hospital opened in 1968 and has a reported maintenance backlog of £126 million, despite approximately £100 million being spent on repairs during the past decade. Trust documents have identified 2031 as the point at which its main buildings will have exceeded their useful economic life, while the backlog could reach £300 million by 2033.

Mr Vickers called for a clear route towards replacing the hospital, which is not currently included in the national New Hospital Programme. The government said there were no plans to add further schemes to that programme but that North Tees could seek investment through other capital funds.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has been allocated £3.2 million for essential repairs over four years, alongside wider operational funding. A further £1 million has recently been announced to refurbish the hospital’s emergency department.

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