Redeveloping Frimley Park Hospital 'not viable'

NHS managers say Frimley Park Hospital must be replaced by a new hospital on a new site by 2030

Redeveloping Frimley Park Hospital on its current site in Surrey is not a “viable option” and potential alternative locations have been identified to deliver a new hospital by 2030, a report says.

The hospital was built in the 1970s using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac), which makes up about 65% of the current building.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) has been granted funding approval for a replacement through the government’s New Hospital Programme.

A report to be presented at Hampshire County Council’s Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee on 21 November said the current site was "too congested" to build on.

The Department of Health requires the NHS to stop using hospital buildings built with Raac by 2035.

A deadline of 2030 has been set for the seven most affected hospitals, which includes Frimley Park.

The current hospital has about 7,000 Raac planks in key areas such as operating theatres, intensive care units, wards and corridors.

The trust which runs the hospital has considered whether attempting to build a new hospital on the current site would be a viable option.

But the report concluded the redevelopment would require demolition and rebuild on a site which was “already congested”, causing “significant disruption to patients, staff, and hospital services, as well as being more expensive” and “impossible to complete a phased build by our deadline of 2030”.

The NHS buildings which have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete have to be regularly inspected

The trust's criteria stipulated the new site should have a space of twice the size of the current hospital.

The area should be expandable and easily accessible by public transport and road.

The trust will ask for the public’s feedback until January 2024.

The preferred site must then be chosen by February 2024 so the new hospital can open its doors by 2030.

Virtual and in-person listening events will be held for the public.

Communities will be offered hosting events to provide information and an online questionnaire will also be available.

The new hospital will be designed to enhance the quality of patient care by implementing various measures.

These measures include increasing the number of single rooms, locating all planned surgeries in one area, and ensuring that related clinical services, such as vascular, cardiology, and stroke services, are positioned next to each other.