Raac mitigation work could keep Airedale Hospital safe until 2040, officials say

There were fears that certain wards would become unusable after 2030 due to the crumbling concrete, however yesterday in Parliament senior officials confirmed that mitigation had been successful.

Airedale is one of seven priority hospitals in the NHP due to Raac, and the refurbishment is estimated to be completed in 2033.

Samantah Jones, permanent secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care, told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee yesterday: “We would all say that we do not take the issue of the Raac hospitals lightly, we take the issues of patient safety and staff safety and governance very seriously.

“That overrides everything that we do, including having an independent assessment through Mott McDonald confirming that the seven hospitals are safe until 2030 and onwards.”

Paul Mustow, one of the officials in charge of the NHP, told MPs: “The report has suggested that all the work that has gone into mitigating Raac in those hospitals has been successful.

“A huge amount of time and effort and money has gone into mitigation work at those hospitals, which means they are safe to operate beyond 2030 and potentially for six to 10 years after that as long as they are well maintained and monitored regularly.”

The Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has said it would remain “safe to remain open in the short-term”, however it added that there was “an urgent need to build the new hospital as quickly as possible”.

Trust chief executive Foluke Ajayi said: “As Airedale is one of seven hospitals with the highest amounts of RAAC, we have an urgent need to build the new hospital as quickly as possible.

“Our team of experts are currently looking at the best way to do this, with timelines under development.

“As highlighted in the report carried out by Mott Macdonald, Airedale Hospital is safe to remain open in the short-term, thanks to the extensive programme of Raac structural support work and surveying that we are carrying out.

“However, building a new hospital is the only permanent solution to ensure we can continue to provide care and services for people in the area the hospital serves.”

Both Airedale and the Leeds General Infirmary were earmarked for development under the Conservatives’ controversial New Hospital Programme.

They were two of 40 “new” hospitals which Mr Johnson claimed would be completed before 2030, ahead of the 2019 election.

However, Airedale’s completion date has been set at 2033, while the LGI’s new wing won’t be finished until 2040.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting recently told The Yorkshire Post: “The Conservatives’ timetable was a work of fiction, and the money was due to run out in the March of my first year in office.

“My first priority was the Raac hospitals and remains the Raac hospitals, and so I’m pleased to report that the timetable set out in our NHP is on track.

“There has been works and mitigation going on in the meantime, to make sure that during that time the hospital is safe.”