Hospitals ‘falling to bits’ as NHS England faces record repairs bill of £12bn

Experts say crumbling concrete and other issues threaten ‘catastrophic failures or major disruption to clinical services’

The NHS in England has a record repairs bill of almost £12bn, new figures show, with ministers needing to find more than £2bn for urgent maintenance to prevent catastrophic failure.

The annual report into the condition of the health service’s estate said on Thursday that the cost of improving rundown buildings and decrepit equipment is two and a half times larger than in 2011-2012, when it stood at £4.7bn.