Northern Ireland maintenance backlog on health estate reaches £1.6bn
6th July 2026
The recent Audit Office Report saying the maintenance backlog in Northern Ireland’s health estate has grown to more than £1.6 Billion is a cause for grave concern.
This is a staggering amount of money that needs to be spent. The estate is aging and many sites are not fit for purpose due to age and condition. The report shows that 46% of the health estate is more than 50 years old, and 16% of it is more than 75 years old. Only 40% of the health estate was found to be in ‘overall acceptable condition’. The health estate has more than 1700 buildings freehold buildings and 200 leasehold that are made up of hospitals, health centres, ambulance stations and fire stations, across 400 sites and the Audit General says many are deteriorating.
The report highlights that many of these facilities have seen increased footfall and demand for services has increased. This is hardly surprising given the current levels of health inequalities, poor housing conditions, and the cost-of-living crisis. For example, West Belfast is one of the most deprived areas in western Europe and other impoverished areas across Northern Ireland are almost as deprived.
The Workers Party is opposed to the granting of permission for building of new private health care facilities close to 3 hospitals and a number of other healthcare facilities in Northern Ireland.
On the back of the Auditor’s Report people will be right to wonder if the health estate is being run down by neglect or by design. Patients and staff are entitled to work and be treated in buildings that are compliant with regulations.
The Executive and Health Service leadership should not be dependent on the private sector and their new buildings which will do nothing to deal with our growing health inequalities and multiple deprivations. Indeed as the Workers Party has noted, research from England finds a direct link between privatised services and excess deaths.
