Evacuation training for hospital staff if roof fails

Hinchingbrooke Hospital staff are being trained for if there is a failure of the roof.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was used to build the Huntingdon hospital roof across 75 per cent of the site when it was constructed in the 1980s.

The building's lifespan was supposed to be for 30 years. However, problems with RAAC have emerged in buildings where it was used.

Structural issues with the concrete in the roof were identified by the hospital in 2018 and work has taken place to make the hospital safe.

Last month the government confirmed its commitment to replace the hospital building alongside six other hospitals across the country, while the rest of the projects in the New Hospitals Programme were placed under review.

The current plans aim to see the replacement hospital opening in late 2030.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital in Huntingdon, says it undertakes surveys of the RAAC panels annually, to see if any remedial work, or fail safe measures and structural interventions need to be carried out.

Deborah Lee, the senior responsible officer for the Hinchingbrooke Hospital redevelopment programme, told councillors that the RAAC concrete was the highest risk on the Trust’s risk register.

She said there is an “extensive programme of inspections” and that they were ensuring the building remains safe for patients and staff.