Deadline to fix unsafe crumbling NHS hospitals will be missed
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- A National Audit Office report warns that remedial work on seven hospitals built with unsafe Raac concrete will not meet the government's original 2030 deadline, with new buildings now expected to open in 2032-33.
- Some hospitals currently have roofs supported by metal props and closed areas due to safety concerns, while trusts face high maintenance costs, with over £500 million needed by 2025 to prevent structural failure.
- The government's revised New Hospitals Programme in 2025 prioritised 20 projects and extended completion dates, but delays persist at hospitals like Torbay, Kettering, and Musgrove Park, pushing openings 9-10 years beyond initial plans.
- Raac concrete's porous nature leads to weakening and potential collapse,
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