Less than half of Scottish NHS buildings believed to have Raac inspected

Just 97 of more than 250 NHS buildings in Scotland believed to have collapse-prone concrete have been inspected, the Scottish Government has said.

A desk-based review to ascertain the prevalence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) found 254 buildings in the NHS estate had two or more characteristics which are consistent with its presence, although the Government said it is not certain if all identified buildings actually contain Raac.

According to the Government, 97 buildings have been physically inspected by specialist engineers, who are then tasked with making recommendations for treatment or removal.

It is understood the review is expected to be completed in November.

Asked by Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton if the safety of patients and staff can be guaranteed, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said on Thursday “no patients and no staff will be left in any dangerous building anywhere”.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Building safety is an issue the Scottish Government takes very seriously and we are fully aware of significant issues with some Raac.

“Reviews of Raac have been conducted by local authorities, NHS Scotland and other public sector organisations for some time so we can all fully understand the scope of Raac including in hospitals.

“In addition we established a cross-sector working group on Raac to ensure action is taken where required so that people are safe and feel safe in buildings.”

But Mr Cole-Hamilton urged the Scottish Government to move faster.

“We know that the list of NHS buildings includes surgical wards, a radiotherapy ward, maternity wards and major hospitals,” he said.

“We also know that the assumptions about what is low risk, based on looking at blueprints, are now being questioned because a school beam thought to be low risk was then found to be unsound.

“The Scottish Government must act now to ensure the safety of everyone going for surgery, every cancer patient and every newborn currently receiving care in a ward where this dangerous concrete is present.”