Recommendation 14

More broadly, there are other hospitals outside the programme with problems which the Department must address through wider spending on repairs and maintenance. The total backlog of work required to improve the NHS estate was estimated to cost £15.9 billion in 2024–25.26 We received written evidence from NHS providers highlighting that, from 2023–24 to 2024–25, the total increase the size of the maintenance backlog (£2.1bn) was higher than the total investment trying to reduce the backlog (£1.02bn).27 The previous Committee raised concerns in 2020 that the Department had not published a capital funding strategy to support the NHS long- term plan.28 The Government committed to finalising a capital strategy in 2020 but has not yet published it.29 26 C&AG’s report, para 1.9 27 NHS Providers (NHP0003) 28 Committee of Public Accounts, NHS Capital Expenditure and Financial Management, Eighth Report of Session 2019–21, HC 344, 8 July 2020 29 HMT, Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Seventh to the Thirteenth reports from session 2019–21, CP 291, 28 September 2020 12 2 Designing Hospital 2.0 and programme integration with wider NHS strategic goals Designing Hospital 2.0