A council has urged Wes Streeting to come and see the “appalling” state of a crumbling hospital after the government refused to foot a £130m repair bill.
Stockport Council has invited the health secretary to visit Stepping Hill Hospital, a 1905 site riddled with problems like collapsed ceilings and flooded corridors.
Leader of the Lib-Dem run council Mark Hunter said the hospital’s condition was “beyond a joke” and it was “disappointing” to see funding requests turned down due to financial constraints.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for a response.
More than half of the hospital, originally built in 1905 as the Stepping Hill Poor Law Hospital, is needed of major repair, according to a recent structural report.
Repairs at Stepping Hill Hospital are estimated to cost in the region of £134m.
But health minister Karin Smith said the government could not afford to help fund the repairs due to the “constrained” position of public funds.
She responded to a letter by Local Liberal Democrat MPs Tom Morrison and Lisa Smart, urging the government to step in.
Hunter said the poor state of the hospital had been an issue for Stockport for some time.
“We’ve all been through Stepping Hill, it’s hard to find anyone who has not been grateful of their care, but the fabric of the building is beyond a joke”, he said.
A Lib Dem motion amended by Labour councillors was recently passed by the council urging the health secretary to prioritise repairs at the hospital.
Hunter said he was calling on Streeting to “come and see how bad things are”.
“We’re not asking for special treatment”, he said, adding Stockport deserved “facilities that are up to standard”.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said relocating the hospital might be better than “propping it up” in its current location.