Hospital Raac removal to take years

Raac was found in office and staff accommodation blocks in 2023

Concrete prone to crumbling and collapsing will probably take "several years" to remove, a hospital trust has said.

Raac, or reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, was found in five office units and two staff accommodation blocks at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in 2023.

Work to reinforce the structures and make the buildings safe was completed in March.

The trust said it had now been awarded funding for the first tranche of work to the remove the Raac completely.

There had never been any risk to patients and there had been no disruption to clinical services, it said.

Earlier this year the trust said it was bidding for £4.9m from NHS England in order to remove the concrete in its entirety.

But a spokesperson said, due to changes in the way NHS money was allocated, the trust had only been given funds - about £588,000 - for the first year of the works.

"These works on the University Hospital of North Tees site are anticipated to take several years to complete and funding is being bid for on an annual basis," they added.

The initial works are due to start on 24 November.