47 hospitals contain dangerous RAAC panels, new figures reveal

  • 30th October 2024

Forty seven NHS hospitals still contain potentially-dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health and Social Care.

In a recent update the department stated that continued surveys across the NHS estate had identified 47 affected hospitals, with two sites newly identified between February 2024 and October 2024 – the Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex and Bristol Eye Hospital.

Between those dates nine hospital sites (University Hospital Lewisham, Norwich Community, Barnsley, Chase Farm, Warrington General, Castle Hill, Blackpool Victoria, North Cambridgeshire – Wisbech, and Stepping Hill) have eradicated RAAC, bringing the total number of hospital sites that have eradicated RAAC to 13.

The increased identification of RAAC is driven by NHS trusts work to undertake more in-depth surveys in response to the updated Institution of Structural Engineers Guidance on RAAC.

It can take time to complete the visual inspections and structural surveys to identify and establish the technical classification of RAAC due to challenges accessing areas with possible RAAC.

None of the new sites identified are hospitals built predominantly out of RAAC.

A government spokesperson said: “We have inherited a broken NHS, with many hospitals in a state of disrepair, meaning patients have not been able to access the care they so desperately need.

“We are committed to fully removing RAAC from the NHS estate while working to keep facilities open, with patient safety at the forefront.

“Repairing and rebuilding our crumbling hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our Ten-Year Health Plan.”

He added that the increased identification of RAAC is driven by NHS trusts’ work to undertake more-indepth surveys in response to the updated Institution of Structural Engineers guidance on RAAC.

“It can take time to complete the visual inspections and structural surveys to identify and establish the technical classification of RAAC due to challenges accessing areas with possible RAAC,” he added.

“None of the new sites identified are hospitals built predominantly out of RAAC.”

Where new cases of RAAC are identified, monitoring and mitigations will be put in place where needed and panels removed over time.

More broadly, the Government has confirmed that seven of the most-RAAC-affected hospitals will be replaced as a priority.

And the department and the NHS have worked closely with academic institutions on technical research into RAAC, with the Institution of Structural Engineers publishing guidance on remediation and management strategies.

The approach will differ depending on the assessment of risk, but these include secondary supports or beams for the highest risk to inspection regimes for lower risk areas, as well as plans for limiting operational loads, such as no-walk zones on RAAC roofs and maintaining roof drainage, restricting new or removal of existing equipment, or reducing humidity.

With regards to the primary and community care estate, the department and NHS England have been engaging with Community Health Partnerships (CHP) and NHS Property Services (NHSPS) to understand their RAAC risk and the associated programmes.

To date, CHP has not identified any RAAC in its estate and NHSPS has identified three sites that are part of the national programme.

Keep Updated

Sign up to our weekly property newsletter to receive the latest news.