2 July 2026

SDLP Opposition Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA has said the state of the health estate is a risk to both patients and staff.

He was speaking after an Audit Office report revealed just 40% of health buildings were in an acceptable condition.

South Down MLA Colin McGrath said:

“The Audit Office has today confirmed what I have been warning about for years. The shocking condition of Northern Ireland's health estate is not an accident – it is the direct result of years of failure by successive Health Ministers and the Executive to address these issues and prioritise our health service. 

“I have repeatedly questioned Ministers about the spiralling maintenance backlog, crumbling buildings and the lack of any meaningful long-term strategy. Time after time I was told the right words, yet the problem got worse.

“The figures are now impossible to ignore. A maintenance backlog of more than £1.6 billion. A quarter of a billion pounds of high-risk repairs. Forty per cent of the estate not fully compliant with statutory standards. Almost half of our health buildings are over 50 years old. This is what years of political neglect looks like.

“Patients and staff are paying the price. You cannot expect people to receive modern healthcare in buildings that have been neglected for decades, nor can you continue asking dedicated staff to work in facilities that should have been upgraded years ago.

“The Auditor is right. This is not simply about funding. It is also about the complete absence of strategic leadership. Governments are elected to look beyond the next financial year, yet this Executive and those before it have simply kicked the can down the road while our health service estate continued to deteriorate.”