Telford's Princess Royal Hospital opens temporary kitchen after Raac find

The kitchen and Apley restaurant at Princess Royal Hospital was closed as a precaution following the discovery of Raac

A temporary kitchen has been built to provide hot meals at a hospital after the discovery of unsafe concrete.

Telford's Princess Royal Hospital closed its kitchen and restaurant after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was identified.

The temporary facility was built in just over a week.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said safety for its patients and colleagues was paramount.

Work undertaken by teams to build the kitchen included installing electrics and building a walk-in chiller for food storage.

Rest areas have also been created in other areas of the hospital.

Helen Troalen, director of finance, said there had been a "phenomenal effort" to create a kitchen that ensured more than 400 hot meals could be provided to patients in each sitting.

The trust said it was also looking to put in place an additional retail option, adding that vending machines remained accessible across the site.

Raac is a lightweight material which is less durable than standard concrete.

The presence of the material, which has a limited life span, has already seen 174 schools and several buildings across England close due to safety concerns.