NHS Trusts: Concrete
(asked on 4th September 2023) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts have remediation measures in place to mitigate structural insecurities caused by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Extensive building survey works have been conducted by National Health Service trusts to identify the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their fabric, using technology to record potential issues and visually identify and log potential risks.
As of 17 October 2023, there are 42 hospital sites with confirmed RAAC. Of these, 18 have been identified since May 2023 following updated monitoring guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers. The Department has published a full list of hospitals with confirmed RAAC, which is available at the following link:
In addition to the 42 confirmed hospital sites, three further sites have entirely eradicated previously confirmed instances of RAAC and have therefore left the programme.
The NHS has a comprehensive mitigation plan in place for hospital buildings with RAAC, including significant additional funding worth £698 million from 2021 to 2025 for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures. NHS hospital trusts were allocated £209 million in 2022/23 and £115 million in 2021/22. Funding is allocated based on NHS trust plans and delivery progress.
We have committed to eradicating RAAC from the publicly owned NHS estate by 2035, protecting patient and staff safety in the interim period, with the NHS approaching this on a risk basis and prioritising NHS trusts of concern. The estimated cost of full eradication through to 2035 will change over time due to several factors and will be considered at each spending review.
Where structural surveys identify RAAC in their estate, trusts are inducted into the national remediation programme. Each site will be different, and just because RAAC is present, it does not necessarily mean there is a high risk.