RCS England response to the latest Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) data for 2025/26
15 Oct 2026
Commenting on the latest Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) data for 2025/26, Professor Frank Smith, Vice President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said:
“Seeing a nearly 9% increase, resulting in a £17.3 billion NHS maintenance backlog, is a stark reminder of the deteriorating state of parts of the NHS estate and the growing challenge of keeping ageing buildings safe and fit for purpose.
“This summer, surgeons reported that extreme heat, ageing ventilation systems and deteriorating hospital buildings were making it harder to keep operating theatres running and patients treated on time.“While we welcome the recent allocation of £1.5 billion from the £6.75 billion NHS Estate Safety Fund to improve NHS buildings, address maintenance issues and strengthen resilience to extreme heat, modernising NHS infrastructure is essential to bring down NHS waiting lists. This will require substantial additional investment in operating theatres and the buildings needed to treat more patients.
“A long-term approach is sensible, but hospitals cannot wait much longer for the modern theatres, equipment and technology that allow surgeons and their teams to treat more patients sooner.”
ENDS