Deadline to fix unsafe crumbling NHS hospitals will be missed
Work to repair hospitals built using unsafe concrete may not be completed in time to meet the government’s target, a new report has warned.
Seven hospitals built using Raac, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, were prioritized for upgrades last year, with the government setting a deadline of 2030.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said new buildings are now expected to open in 2032 and 2033 but some are already facing pressure to meet the revised timetable.
In some hospitals, roofs are supported by metal supports and some areas are closed on the grounds that they are unsafe.
Meanwhile, affected healthcare facilities face huge maintenance bills to keep their aging buildings safe.
Health Minister Wes Streeting described the original New Hospitals Program (40 new hospitals by 2030) as promises “that will never be met”.
In January 2025, it revised the plan, prioritizing 20 projects with more funding and later completion dates, including Raac hospitals.
The NAO report says the 2025 review puts the program “on a more realistic, stable and long-term basis”.
For example, standardizing the design of some new buildings will speed up delivery and reduce costs.
However, some new completion dates have been postponed. Torbay, Kettering and Musgrove Park hospitals have all been postponed; They are estimated to open nine to ten years later than the previous plan.
Reinforced concrete is less durable than concrete, as the “bubbly” structure can allow water in and can crumble and collapse, weakening the building material, Raac says.
The NAO says the seven “priority” plans to replace Raac will not all be completed until 2032-33, which will result in “significant operational and clinical risk and cost”.
Meanwhile, hospitals including West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals in Kings Lynn are facing huge maintenance bills to keep their facilities open.
Seven hospitals will need investment of more than £500 million to prevent structural failure by 2025.
NHS aims to remove all Raac concrete from its land by 2035. The Department of Health and Social Care says there have been 20 areas where concrete has been eliminated so far and will invest £1.6bn over the next four years.
Public Accounts Committee Chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said delays in addressing the collapsing Raac must now be addressed “as a matter of urgency”.
However, the report warns that there is an overall tight construction schedule over the next five years with few contingencies, so delivery dates could slip further.
Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “A more stable plan is better than drifting, but patients cannot wait a decade to get the capacity we need now.
“NHS trusts will pour scarce funds into repairing older buildings for longer periods of time – this money should be used to create extra operating theatres, secure fenced beds and ensure there are enough staff to manage them.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We have approved a sustainable funding plan and an achievable timeline for delivering all the plans in the programme. We are now starting to build these much-needed facilities as quickly as possible.”
