New figures provided by the BBC show the RD&E’s repairs backlog more than doubled from more than £68 million in the 2021-22 financial year to £146 million in 2022-23.

This means that it experienced the sixth biggest percentage rise last year out of England’s NHS trusts. However, it still does not put the trust in the top 10 for the highest overall repairs backlog, which ranges from £193 million at tenth-placed University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust through to £734 million at first-placed Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

In total, the estimated bill to complete so-called high-risk repairs needed at England’s NHS acute hospitals has swollen to £2 billion – up more than a third compared to the previous year.

The RD&E Hospital (Wonford) in Exeter was built between 1992 and 1996, and the trust said large parts “tipped over into ‘not good condition’ as defined by the Department of Health and Social Care because it is in the 30-35 year old age bracket”.

The trust’s current form began in April 2022, when it brought together the assets from the RD&E NHS Foundation Trust and the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust.

“This increase in the total number of assets has also added to the rise,” a spokesperson for the RD&E said.

“There is a medium-term plan in place to address the repair backlog at the RD&E, whereas North Devon District Hospital is one of the 40 new hospitals, which when rebuilt will address the issue.”

The NHS describes North Devon District Hospital as “the most remote acute hospital in mainland England,” adding that many of its building are over 50 years old “which can result in challenges delivering care.”

The government had pledged to build the new hospital by 2030, but earlier this month Shona Dunn, second permanent secretary at the Department of Health & Social Care, said it is “now expected to complete after 2030”.

The RD&E spokesperson said the trust is exploring whether a phased-build programme for the North Devon District Hospital could be implemented to help it “mitigate some of our infrastructure risks sooner.”

The spokesperson added that the level of repair backlog is “measured continuously” with “higher-risk areas then addressed in the short term where capital funds are made available.”

However, its core capital funding – cash that would be used for repairs – is “currently overcommitted”, the spokesperson added, meaning that the highest priority jobs had to be dealt with first.

Fortunately, RAAC, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, which is blighting a host of hospitals and schools across the country, is not an issue for the RD&E Trust.

“There is one non-clinical, non-structural area in the North Devon District Hospital which is affected by RAAC, however this area has been surveyed and confirmed as low risk and fit for purpose,” the spokesperson said.

A total of 86 trusts provided a response to the BBC Shared Data Unit, revealing at least 1,385 reports of infrastructure problems, impacting the care of at least 1,055 patients.

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East Devon Watch

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26 Feb 2024

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Misc

After another weekend of sewage discharges onto our bathing beaches – how informative is SWW Waterfit Live?

When SWW faced EDDC’s scrutiny committee recently, Waterfit Live was claimed to be the answer to most councillors’ questions.

This section of this morning’s South West Water’s Waterfit Live map shows three active discharges in Exmouth, Sandy Bay and Budleigh. Locals know there are more potential sites than these.

Below, for comparison, is the Rivers Trust map showing the actual locations of combined sewage overflows (brown spots) at similar scale but in much greater detail.

Surely we need to know from SWW exactly which outfall has spilled, not a generalised “blob”?

WaterFit Live

Rivers Trust map of existing outfalls

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East Devon Watch

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26 Feb 2024

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Misc

Only faux leather sandal wearing Liberals drink skimmed milk – Jacob Rees-Mogg

Only liberals drink skimmed milk to go with their faux leather sandals. Full fat, creamy milk will nourish your inner Tory.

Listen to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for North Somerset and 19th Century here

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East Devon Watch

Posted on

26 Feb 2024

Posted under

Misc

40 projects to benefit from £25 million funding for natural flood management

The Environment Agency’s Climate Resilient Otter Catchment (CROC) scheme has been handed £1,184,800. The initiative involves eight projects around the River Otter with a focus on land and soil management, as well as local farming practices. Sidbury Manor Estate’s River Sid catchment scheme has been given £240,000.

Welcome funding in what is now regarded as a marginal constituency. – Owl

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs www.gov.uk

Forty projects which will use natural processes such as planting trees and creating wetlands to reduce the risk of flooding are set to benefit from a £25 million government programme, Floods Minister Robbie Moore announced today (Friday 23 February).

Part of the government’s plan to increase the nation’s flood resilience, natural flood management processes protect, restore, and mimic the natural functions of catchments, floodplains and the coast to slow and store water.

Community, charity and council projects set to benefit from the £25 million Natural Flood Management programme include:

Severn Rivers Trust will carry out a mixture of natural flood management measures in the headwaters of Illey Brook, near Halesowen in the West Midlands. Many of these works will focus on soil and land management – slowing and storing surface water runoff, while also reducing soil erosion and supporting agriculture. New woodland areas and hedgerows will support wetland complexes and the creation of new habitats.

The Ribble Rivers Trust has proposed a number of projects focusing on slowing river flows across the Ribble catchment, in Darwen, Clitheroe and Lea Green. Swales, ponds and leaky barriers across watercourses will slow and store floodwater in the upper reaches of the River Darwen catchment, whilst vegetation management and new woodland will intercept the flow of water as it runs downhill, reducing runoff and enabling water to be stored in the soil.

The announcement comes after a wide range of applications were submitted to the Environment Agency by community groups, environmental charities and councils for grants, following the launch of the largest-ever investment in natural flood management schemes in September last year. The Environment Agency led a review of these applications, with input from Defra and Natural England.

Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell said:

It’s exciting to see such appetite for Natural Flood Management, recognising its value in providing not only benefits against flood risk but also wider support for nature recovery.

I’m proud of the role the Environment Agency is playing in leading this pioneering programme. We look forward to working with partners to help natural techniques become a mainstream option for flood protection and help create more climate resilient places.

Floods Minister Robbie Moore said:

It’s vital we use nature as an ally in our work to become ready for climate change, helping to restore the natural environment and protecting homes and businesses. That’s why we’re funding the biggest-ever investment in natural flood management – and it’s great to see the huge demand.

These schemes will complement traditional bricks-and-mortar defences, all funded by our £5.2 billion flood programme. This programme is one more part of our plan to bolster flood resilience and shield communities – all whilst boosting biodiversity, restoring habitats and protecting the environment for future generations.

Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, said:

We warmly welcome this significant fund which will not only protect people and businesses from flooding, but will also make more space for nature, purify pollutants, recharge groundwater aquifers, lock up organic carbon and create amenity value for communities.

The new funding builds on the £15m natural flood management pilot programme which ran until 2021, creating the equivalent of 1.6 million cubic metres of water storage and reducing flood risk to 15,000 homes.

The Environment Agency is managing the new £25 million programme with work taking place from now until March 2027.

The programme will help meet the goals of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England, which provides a longer-term vision of how we will better protect and prepare homes and businesses from flooding and coastal change and create climate resilient places.

It also supports the Government Policy Statement on Flood and Coastal Erosion Management, which highlights the importance of harnessing the power of nature, and the Environmental Improvement Plan, which recognises the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change with the use of nature-based solutions. Investing in natural flood management will support the government’s plan to better protect communities while tackling climate change and benefitting nature.

To find out more about the Natural Flood Management Programme and for a full list of successful projects refer to our Gov.uk pages and below.

Successful applicants and schemes:

City of Doncaster Council, Bentley NFM Opportunities
Northumberland County Council, Alnmouth Coastal scheme
National Trust, Common Farm Hydrological Restoration
National Trust, Resilient Coledale
Community Forest Trust, Whitewell Brook NFM
Ribble Rivers Trust, Ribble Revival: Darwen Community Catchment
Ribble Rivers Trust, Ribble Revival: Clitheroe Community Catchment
Ribble Rivers Trust, Ribble Revival: Wrea Green Community Catchment
Wyre River Trust, Wyre Catchment Resilience Programme
Brampton 2 Zero CiC, Brampton Natural Flood Management Project
National Trust, Poynton and Micker (Norbury) Catchment Plan (Headwaters)
Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Meols Natural Flood Management Scheme
Mersey Rivers Trust, Alt Catchment NFM
Woodland Trust, Smithills Estate NFM 2024
City of Trees Trust, Cromton Moor Slow the Flow Leaky Dams
Severn Rivers Trust, Illey Brook NFM
Leicester City Council, Leicester Urban NFM – Willow Brook Catchment
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, Saving Worksop and Shireoaks through NFM
Nottinghamshire County Council, Cropwell Butler Natural Flood Management
Lincolnshire County Council, Barrow Beck Chalk Stream Restoration
East Mercia Rivers Trust, Field Beck NFM – Holdingham, Sleaford
Lincolnshire County Council, Building Flood Resilience in the River Rase Catchment
National Trust, Northey Island Causeway Saltmarsh Management
River Waveney Trust, Diss Natural Flood Management
Essex County Council, Hockley Woods Leaky Dams
RSPB, Beneficial Use of Dredged Sediment (BUDS) in the Blackwater Estuary
Norfolk County Council, North Attleborough Flood Alleviation Scheme
London Borough of Hillingdon, Pinn Meadows Natural Flood Management
South Oxfordshire District Council, The Goggs, Watlington NFM Scheme
Surrey County Council, Ash Ranges NFM
High Weald AONB Partnership (East Sussex County Council), High Weald AONB NFM Project (Alder Stream)
RSPCA, Marsham Valley Natural Flood Management Partnership
The Friends of Cannizaro Park, Cannizaro Park NFM Programme
Royal Borough of Greenwich Council, Marsh Dykes and Thamesmead Flood Alleviation Network
High Weald AONB Partnership (East Sussex County Council), High Weald AONB NFM Project (Crawley – Stanford Brook)
National Trust, Swan Brook Wetlands
Dorset AONB Partnership, hosted by Dorset Council, West Dorset Rivers & Coastal Streams Natural Flood Management Programme
Sidbury Manor Estate, Sidbury Manor Estate & The River Sid Catchment
Environment Agency, Climate Resilient Otter Catchment (CROC)
Westcountry Rivers Trust, Climate Resilient Mevagissey

Planning applications validated by EDDC for week beginning 12 February

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Devon hospital trust’s massive repair bill revealed

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After another weekend of sewage discharges onto our bathing beaches – how informative is SWW Waterfit Live?

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Only faux leather sandal wearing Liberals drink skimmed milk – Jacob Rees-Mogg

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40 projects to benefit from £25 million funding for natural flood management

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