Work continues on hospital roof built using risky concrete

The roof at the A Block building at Kidderminster Hospital was found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) two years ago and is in the process of being replaced.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which also runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, is one of several trusts known to have buildings with RAAC.

The hospital’s A Block building, which is separate from the main site, was used as a chemotherapy suite from 2020 while the Alex in Redditch was used to treat people with Covid-19 during the pandemic.

The chemotherapy unit, known as the Garden Suite, returned to the Alex earlier this year following a refurbishment.

It was revealed in July that the ‘crumbling’ concrete was found at the hospital in Bewdley Road, Kidderminster, in August 2021 with the lightweight and cheaper concrete described as a “ticking time bomb” because it was prone to collapsing.

RAAC is a lightweight ‘bubbly’ form of concrete used widely between the 1950s and mid-1990s – especially for panels on flat roofs – and lasts around 30 years.

The risk of injury or death from a school building collapse was said to be “very likely and critical” by the National Audit Office in June.

In the same statement provided in July, a spokesperson for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The roof of the A Block building on the Kidderminster Hospital site was confirmed to contain some reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in August 2021.

“The cost of the replacement of the roof and associated work has been fully funded by the Department of Health and Social Care’s National RAAC Replacement scheme, and work to replace the roof has been underway for some time.”

Last week, it was revealed that thousands of pupils across the country were facing disruption just days before the start of the new school year after more than 100 schools, colleges and nurseries were told to immediately close buildings made with RAAC – a concrete prone to collapsing.

Worcestershire County Council confirmed that none of the schools in its control were affected by the late government announcement – but this only accounts for around a third of the schools in the county.

Academies, which are not under the jurisdiction of the county council and of which there are more than 120 in Worcestershire, have to report any RAAC issues directly to the Department for Education.

One academy, Pershore High School, has been forced to close its drama building and move lessons elsewhere over concerns the temporary classroom is made from the risky concrete.