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The rebuilding of hospitals constructed almost entirely from potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) will not be delayed as part of a UK government spending review.
The new Labour administration announced in July it would review the Conservatives’ flagship scheme to build or expand 40 hospitals, which was already suffering delays due to a lack of funding. This prompted concerns that redevelopment work and the removal of Raac would be stalled.
But health secretary Wes Streeting has privately told MPs that the seven hospitals in the programme made largely of Raac will not be considered under the scope of the review.
“These hospitals will be told they can push ahead and will not be subject to any delays,” a health official confirmed. An announcement confirming the move is expected later this week.
Raac has been a serious cause for public concern as its lightweight structure means it is more prone to absorb moisture and collapse. The health service last year identified 42 hospitals where Raac is present, five of which are constructed almost entirely of the material.
The building programme launched in 2020 promised that crumbling NHS hospitals would either be reconstructed or expanded by 2030.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced earlier this year that the government would set out a “thorough, realistic and costed timetable” for delivering the programme.
Health officials confirmed on Thursday that the timelines for the other hospitals under the programme will be announced in next month’s Budget.
The hospitals worst affected by Raac include the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and the James Paget Hospital in Norfolk.
Labour has inherited an NHS struggling with an accumulated maintenance backlog worth more than £11.6bn, the highest since records began.
The Tories’ new hospital scheme has been criticised in recent years, with the House of Commons’ public accounts committee warning the plans were backed with “insufficient funding”.
In July 2023, the National Audit Office, the public spending watchdog, said planning problems and funding cuts meant only 32 of the 40 hospitals were due to be completed on schedule.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The New Hospital Programme is undeliverable and unfunded. We do not comment on leaks, however the secretary of state has consistently stated that Raac hospitals will be prioritised to protect patient and staff safety.”
