RAAC Discovered in Three of Scarborough Hospital's Operating Theatres

Friday, 3 November 2023 17:01

By Anttoni James Numminen, Local Democracy Reporter

Three operating theatres at Scarborough Hospital have been found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and will be closed for repairs “one at a time”.

The potentially unsafe concrete has been discovered in three of Scarborough Hospital’s 29 operating rooms, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

Experts have highlighted the “significant risk of failure” of RAAC as a building material which poses a risk of collapse due to its limited lifespan.

A spokesperson for the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the operating theatres had been “assessed as safe” and that the RAAC would be removed “in due course via a systematic plan, one theatre at a time”.

The spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There will be no patient impact and no staff will be moved.”

It follows the news this summer that RAAC planks were found in the roof of the pathology unit at Scarborough Hospital, forcing staff to be moved to temporary workspaces.

The discovery of the building material has affected several other local buildings including Scalby School.

Responding to the news, Alison Hume, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Scarborough and Whitby, said:

“Staff at Scarborough Hospital are working incredibly hard to deliver care despite enormous pressures, so this is yet another hurdle for them to clear.

“The Conservatives have fundamentally failed when it comes to our NHS services, and have put patients and staff at risk. The image of crumbling schools and hospitals sums up what 13 years of Conservative mismanagement have done to our public services.”

Roberto Weeden-Sanz, the Conservative’s parliamentary candidate for Scarborough and Whitby, previously told the LDRS:

“I’m passionate about making sure that we don’t lose any services at Scarborough or Whitby Hospitals.

“The government has invested a huge amount in the health care services and it’s just about making sure that it reaches communities like ours.”

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today