LEEDS is to receive £11.5 million for hospital upgrades, the Health Secretary has announced.

The money will go to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Trust and Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust to pay for refurbished wards, brand new electrics and upgraded ventilation systems.

The Leeds funding is part of a £600 million package for critical maintenance work in hospitals across England.

The Government says work could include new building or refurbishing buildings to deliver key services, upgrades to electrical infrastructure, improvements to ventilation systems, works to improve fire safety and the replacement of hospital lifts. The work will be completed by March 2021.

The money is part of £1.5 billion announced by the Prime Minister in the summer to level up hospital infrastructure across the NHS. The Government says £600 million will be spent on critical maintenance upgrades and the remainder will be spent on modernising mental health facilities, expanding A&E capacity and improving infection control ahead of winter.

Pudsey, Horsforth and Aireborough MP Stuart Andrew said: “I am delighted that NHS Trusts in Leeds will benefit from Government funding to carry out vital maintenance work over the coming months. These crucial projects will deliver immediate benefits and provide NHS staff with the facilities they need to provide world-class care to patients, helping our NHS to build back better after the pandemic.”