Memories of a massive upgrading survey

Sir, – Regarding recent reports of a massive backlog of work required to the health service properties to bring them up to an acceptable standard.

I would point out the problem is not a new one.

In the late 1970s to the early 1980s the then Scottish Home and Health Department (SHHD) instructed all area health boards to carry out a survey of the condition of all the properties under their control.

The categories went from A to E, with A being new and E, I think, being in immediate danger of collapse or failure.

At the time I was with the building department based at Ninewells Hospital and was responsible for the costing of the building elements.

We were given a drawing of the hospital site with the various buildings (eg Mortuary Chapel) and blocks (eg Maternity) identified by a letter.

There was an A4 sheet for each building or block and we had to list the cost in thousands of pounds to bring each element up to Category B, which was an acceptable standard.

We were also given a list of costs and lifespan of various elements so that all surveys would be based on same costs.

We were amused that the life span of a slated roof was given as 60 years, as Dundee Royal Infirmary still had slates from the 1850s and the tenements around Dundee, built in the 1890s, still had their original slates in most cases.

However orders are orders, and we complied with the instruction, completed the forms and they were returned to the area board at Vernonholme.

This was before personal computers – we used pen, pencil and paper.

The files must have been extensive.

We had a laugh at the results as the figures were astronomical, even for those times, and we wondered what would happen to the results.

We never heard any more about the survey, and the feeling was that when it arrived at SHHD it would have been rapidly placed into a cupboard or drawer and the key then thrown away.

Nor did we get a lot more money for maintenance as a result of it.

I do still wonder what happened to that survey.

Perhaps somebody knows?

Alf Small.

8 Claypotts Terrace, Broughty Ferry.