- Seven more hospitals across England have now eradicated reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)
- Government is rebuilding the NHS and delivering safe, modern facilities as part of its Plan for Change
Thousands of patients and staff across England will be better protected in safer hospitals as the government confirms seven more sites have eradicated reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), with a further 12 set to be completed by the end of March 2026.
Backed by up to £440 million this year, hospitals across the NHS estate are being upgraded at pace to remove the potentially dangerous building material and are receiving support to mitigate its impact in the meantime.
It marks rapid progress towards the government’s pledge to eliminate RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035, as the government works to rebuild the health service and make it fit for the future.
Minister for Elective Care Karin Smyth said
Our nation’s hospitals have been starved of investment and left to crumble for more than a decade. Patients and staff deserve safe, modern hospitals and an NHS they can rely on. Today’s progress means thousands more people can walk into NHS hospitals with confidence, knowing this government is putting safety first.
Thanks to the record investment this government is providing, we are cleaning up the mess we inherited, ripping out potentially dangerous concrete and rebuilding our NHS.
The seven hospitals where RAAC has now been eradicated are
- Kidderminster Hospital, Kidderminster
- Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford
- Homerton University Hospital, London
- Scunthorpe General, Scunthorpe
- Churchill Hospital, Oxford
- Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead
- New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton
The 12 further hospitals set to complete by the end of the financial year are
- Countess of Chester Hospital
- Royal Blackburn Hospital, Lancashire
- Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester
- St Mary’s Community Hospital, Portsmouth
- Guildford Hospital, Guildford
- Royal United Hospital, Bath
- Rowley Regis Hospital, West Midlands
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston
- Clatterbridge Hospital, Liverpool
- Leigh Infirmary, Wigan
- North Devon District Hospital, Barnstable
- Stamford and Rutland Hospital, Stamford
All hospitals where RAAC has been identified have robust mitigations in place to make them stable and safe while they await its removal – minimising disruption to services and supporting our mission to cut waiting lists.
This government inherited buildings and equipment across the NHS that had been left to crumble, disrupting patient care and hindering staff. As Lord Darzi found in his investigation, the NHS was starved of capital in the last decade, with a £37 billion under-investment over the 2010s, leaving some hospitals with roofs that have fallen in, and leaking pipes which freeze over in winter.
On top of our work to remove RAAC, the government has confirmed a funding plan and an honest, realistic timetable to deliver all schemes in the New Hospital Programme. This includes the seven hospitals built wholly or primarily from RAAC, which are prioritised to protect patient and staff safety.
Simon Corben, Director of Estates at NHS England, said
Keeping patients and staff safe is always our top priority, and we have been working closely with trusts to manage RAAC safely and ensure the continuation of services while this essential work is taking place.
The completion of these latest projects is a positive step, giving staff confidence that they can continue delivering care in safe environments – and we will keep working with trusts to complete the programme across the NHS estate at pace.
RAAC is a lightweight building material used widely in public buildings between the 1960s and 1980s. It has since been shown to have a limited lifespan presenting safety concerns.
This government is determined to remove it from public spaces. In addition to hospitals, the Department for Education has been removed at speed in over 50 schools, to keep pupils and teachers safe.
