NEWS Hundreds of sewage leaks at hospitals Englands hospitals suffered 456 sewage leaks over the past year, according to figures obtained through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by the Liberal Democrats. Of Englands 206 non-ambulance NHS trusts, 55 responded to the political partys FoI request, which uncovered the 456 leaks. The worst trusts for leaks were Leeds Teaching Hospitals, which reported 105, followed by North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals, with 80. Cambridgeshires Hinchingbrooke Hospital, the concrete roof of which has structural problems, also registered sewage leaks. Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said: This is a national scandal. Our countrys hospitals are falling apart after years of underinvestment and neglect. Patients should not be treated in these conditions and heroic nurses should not have the indignity of mopping up foul sewage. NHS estates figures show the health services repairs backlog grew by 11% in the past year, to 10.2bn. Heat pump grant scheme at risk of serious failure Take up of grants disappointingly low, says House of Lords report The governments programme to kickstart the heat pump rollout is at risk of serious failure because of disappointingly low take-up of grants, warns a House of Lords committee. In a letter to junior energy minister Lord Callanan, the House of Lords environment and climate change committee outlined the conclusions of its recently published inquiry into the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). Under the scheme, the government has earmarked 150m per year from 2022 to 2025 for grants of up to 6,000 to households that replace fossil-fuel boilers with low carbon alternatives, such as heat pumps. However, according to figures from its administrator, Ofgem, the total value of BUS vouchers issued since the scheme was launched in May, to the end of January, was just 49.7m. If the current take-up rate of grants continues, only half of the schemes allocated 450m budget will be used, says the committee. It adds that take-up of grants has been bedevilled by wider government policies, which have failed to provide certainty to installers and consumers about the future shape of domestic low carbon heat. The Lords committee writes that government mixed messaging and misinformation about hydrogens future role in home heating is unhelpful, because it is not a serious option in the short to medium term, and any use for this purpose in the long term is likely to be limited. Keeping hydrogen open as an option is negatively affecting take-up of already established low carbon heating technologies, they continue, adding that it is also unhelpful that the governments ambition to phase out gas boilers by 2035 has not been put forward more strongly. This valve comes with dedicated technical support. Just like all our others. Our Technical Team is here to support your project with a collaborative approach and a Fast Track Service. So, when you need the complete valve solution none of the others will do. Find out more at hattersley.com/justlike Alison, Technical Co-ordinator 21400_HATTERSLEY_TECH_SUPPORT_133X186.indd 1 6 March 2023 www.cibsejournal.com 14/02/2022 17:30