Hospitals with unsafe concrete expected to miss rebuild deadline
A new study warns that work to repair hospitals built using unsafe concrete will not be completed in time to meet the government's deadline. Last year, seven hospitals built using Raac or reinforced autoclaved concrete were prioritized for remedial work, with the government establishing a deadline of 2030. According to the National Audit Office (NAO), the new buildings are set to open in 2032 and 2033, but some are already under pressure to adhere to the updated timetable. Metal props are being used in a variety of hospitals, roofs are supported by metal props, and some areas have been closed due to a lack of sanitation. Meanwhile, senior health clinics face significant upkeep to keep their ageing buildings safe.
Wes Streeting, the original New Hospitals Programme, which will result in the construction of 40 new hospitals by 2030, has been criticized as
more accurate, stable, long-term footing" for the program. For example, standardizing the layout for some of the new buildings would facilitate delivery and cut costs. However, some of the new deadlines for completion have slipped. Torbay, Kettering, and Musgrove Park hospitals have all been postponed – they are expected to open nine to ten years later than under the previous model.that were never going to be fulfilled. He updated the model in January 2025, prioritizing 20 of the projects, including Raac hospitals, with more funding and later deadlines. According to the NAO's study, the 2025 study put the program on a
'A matter of urgency'
Raac is less durable than reinforced concrete because the bubbly
structure will allow water to drain, weakening the building material, which can crumble and collapses. According to the NAO, all of the seven prioritized
plans to replace Raac won't be completed before 2032-33 and with serious operational and medical risk
as the result. In the meantime, hospitals, including the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and The Queen Elizabeth Hospitals in Kings Lynn, are paying huge maintenance bills to maintain their hospitals open. To avoid structural failure by 2025, the seven hospitals will have invested more than £500 million to avoid structural breakdown. By 2035, the NHS aims to have all Raac concrete removed from its campus. So far, there are 20 sites where it has been eradicated, according to the Department of Health and Social Care, and that it is investing £1. 6 billion across the next four years. According to Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, the delays in addressing crumbling Raac must now be addressed
A gradualer approach is better than drifting, but patients are not able to wait a decade for the capacity that we need now.as a matter of urgency. However, the study states that there is already a tight construction schedule with little contingency in the next five years, so delivery dates may have pushed further. Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said:
We've confirmed a sustainable funding plan and a realistic timeline to implement all components of the program,NHS trusts will be pouring scarce funds into patching up old buildings for longer.
Get all the headlines you need to start the day with our flagship newsletter. Sign up here.a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said. We are now getting to the point of building these much-needed facilities as quickly as possible.
