Hospitals with unsafe concrete expected to miss rebuild d...

What’s Happening

Real talk: Seven hospitals with Raac that were prioritised last year are not expected to be completed on time - some not until 2032/33.

Hospitals with unsafe concrete expected to miss rebuild deadline 3 days ago Save Vicki Loader, BBC News Save Shaun Whitmore/BBC Props are holding up walls and ceilings at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings Lynn Work to fix hospitals built using unsafe concrete will not be completed in time to meet the governments target, a new report has warned. Seven hospitals built using Raac, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, were prioritised for remedial work last year, with the government setting a deadline of 2030. (yes, really)

The new buildings are now expected to open in 2032 and 2033 - but some are already facing pressure to meet the revised timetable, the National Audit Office (NAO) dropped.

The Details

In a number of hospitals, roofs are being backed and some areas have been closed as unsafe. Meanwhile, affected health trusts face huge maintenance bills to keep their aging buildings safe.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the original New Hospitals Programme - 40 new hospitals by 2030 - promises “that were never going to be met”. In January 2025 he revised the scheme, prioritising 20 of the projects, including Raac hospitals, with more funding and later dates of completion.

Why This Matters

The NAO report says the 2025 review did put the programme on a “more realistic, stable, long-term footing”. Standardising the design for some of the new buildings should speed up delivery and reduce costs, for example. But some of the new dates for completion have slipped.

This is the kind of health news that affects everyday decisions.

The Bottom Line

A matter of urgency Raac is less durable than reinforced concrete as the “bubbly” structure can let water in, weakening the building material which can crumble and collapse. All of the seven “prioritised” schemes to replace Raac now clutchedt be completed until 2032-33 and with “significant operational and clinical risk and cost ”, says the NAO.

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