NHS Scotland issued a safety action notice in February on the risks of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) planks in healthcare buildings in Scotland. It subsequently completed a “desktop survey” of its estate in June to assess which properties should be investigated for the presence of RAAC.

Further surveys are planned to check the methodology, and detail associated risks, remedial actions, costs, and any routine monitoring suggestions. According to the BBC, on-site investigations are now underway to determine whether RAAC is actually present at hospitals, and these could take up to eight months to complete.

RAAC planks were used in building roofing, walls and flooring from the 1960s to the early 1990s and may still be in place in current buildings. The safety action notice asserts that RAAC planks are considered relatively weak and prone to degradation over time, with the useful life of such planks estimated to be around 30 years. It adds that the “limited visible exposure of panels to assess their condition may result in catastrophic failure without warning” and that the “level of unknown risk this issue poses is unacceptable and needs an immediate response”.

In June, Craig Hoy, MSP, asked the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) which properties that the desktop review has assessed need to be investigated.

Responding in writing last week, the Scottish Secretary for Health and Social Care, Michael Matheson, said: “In response to part (a), the desktop review identified that 254 buildings have two or more characteristics that are consistent with the presence of RAAC and that these should be further investigated to determine whether RAAC is actually present.

“NHS Scotland Assure is leading on the national RAAC survey programme for NHS Scotland and has prepared options on how to proceed with discovery surveys of these properties, which are under consideration by the Scottish Government.

“In response to part (b), a list of the Health Board properties that have been assessed as requiring further investigation has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Completion of the discovery surveys will provide an accurate assessment of how many, and which, of these properties contain RAAC.”

According to the BBC, NHS Grampian have the most buildings that could contain RAAC, with 53 identified by the health board. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have 44, NHS Lothian – 35, NHS Highland – 25, and NHS Fife – 22. NHS Forth Valley and NHS Borders have eight and seven, respectively.

In June, freedom of information requests by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that, among other findings, RAAC had been found at University Hospital Crosshouse (pictured) and a building at Ninewells hospital. 

Speaking at the time and referencing the safety notice, the party’s leader, Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, said: “The wording of the urgent safety notice could hardly be more serious. Concerns about the use of this concrete have been in the public domain for years, yet many health boards still don’t know if this is what is holding their roofs up. 

“Patients and staff need to know exactly which buildings have this concrete in place. The material has been likened to chocolate aero because of the bubbles that could break and collapse at any point. 

“The Scottish Government must urgently ensure that every health board building is inspected and take swift action to remove the concrete if it is deemed unsafe.”