RAAC concrete: Majority of NHS buildings not yet checked

In December 2022, NHS Assure - the body responsible for rubber-stamping NHS buildings in Scotland - was tasked with carrying out a "desktop exercise" which evaluated the NHS estate based on red flags such as their year of construction, presence of any "concrete looking material", and style - including flat and pitched roofs.

In July, NHS Assure estimated that there were 132 premises at high risk of containing RAAC and 122 at medium risk.

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However, according to a written answer supplied by Health Secretary Michael Matheson to Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, only 91 of the 254 buildings suspected of containing RAAC had been inspected by structural engineers as of September 19.

Dame Jackie Baillie said the safety of the public in NHS buildings was 'potentially endangered' (Image: PA)

Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman, Dame Jackie Baillie, said: “Despite knowing that RAAC poses a threat to patients and workers in 254 NHS buildings across the country, only 91 premises have been inspected by structural engineers – almost two-thirds of potentially affected buildings remain to be investigated.

“What this means is NHS staff and patients being left in the dark over the safety of hospitals and clinics and the safety of the public being potentially endangered.

“With the threat of RAAC so clear, there can be no cause for delay.

“If the government drag their heels on this vital issue, they will only prolong the disruption that it will cause and put staff and patients in more danger.”

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Data obtained under freedom of information shows that, of the 132 NHS buildings considered at high risk of containing RAAC, 53 were located in NHS Grampian and 22 in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Pilot surveys were undertaken by NHS Assure at three sites in Ayrshire - the Lister Centre and the Boiler House, both located on the University Hospital Crosshouse campus in Kilmarnock and ranked 'high risk' in the desktop exercise, and Beith Health Centre which had been rated low.

Likelihood Rating of RAAC in NHS buildings, NHS Assure (Image: FOI)

RAAC was not observed at Beith Health Centre. However, it was identified in the Boiler House, which inspectors rated 'amber' - requiring annual inspection - and in the Lister Centre, which is used as an urgent care hub for out-of-hours medical services.

Inspectors rated RAAC at the Lister Centre as 'green', requiring checks every five years.

NHS Assure's report in July also included a list of premises in NHS Lothian rated low, medium and high risk for RAAC.

Among those considered 'high risk' are the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion and some sections of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, which provides acute psychiatric and mental health services including treatment for learning disabilities and dementia.

The Scottish Government said it expects to complete the programme of physical surveys in November, and stressed that not all buildings at "high" or "medium" risk of containing RAAC necessarily do. 

It added that, as of September 23, 97 premises had been physically surveyed. 

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A spokesman said: “Building safety is an issue the Scottish Government takes very seriously and we are fully aware of significant issues with some Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

"Reviews of RAAC have been conducted by local authorities, NHS Scotland and other public sector organisations for some time so we can all fully understand the scope of RAAC including in hospitals.

“In addition we established a cross sector working group on RAAC to ensure action is taken where required so that people are safe and feel safe in buildings.”

RAAC is a lightweight "bubbly" form of concrete which was commonly used in Britain from the 1950s to the mid-1990s, particularly in walls, floors and roofs, because it was cheaper.

However, a national safety warning was issued in 2018 when a school roof containing RAAC in Kent collapsed suddenly, damaging the staff room and toilets. No one was in the building at the time.

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In June, an independent National Audit Office (NAO) report warned England's Department for Education that RAAC was “the greatest risk to safety across the school estate” and that schools constructed using RAAC "have an increased risk of structural failure, which can happen with little or no warning".

After a beam collapsed at a school in England during the summer holidays, urgent repairs were instigated resulting in the closure to date of some 170 schools and colleges.

NHS England has also told hospital bosses to be ready to evacuate staff and patients if buildings containing RAAC begin to fail.

One of the worst affected - Hinchingbrooke in Cambridgeshire - has already banned patients heavier than 19 stone from all of its operating theatres except one on the ground floor over fears that their weight increased the risk of floors cracking. 

In Scotland, RAAC has been identified in 40 school premises, resulting in some areas being cordoned off or pupils moved. Surveys are underway.

Investigations are also underway to assess the extent of RAAC in public buildings such as courthouses, police stations and libraries.

In North Lanarkshire, Motherwell's concert hall and theatre building closed "with immediate effect" earlier this month after RAAC was discovered on the site.