Telford hospital gives crumbly concrete update as temporary kitchen remains in use
A temporary kitchen remains in use at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital nearly a year and a half after the discovery of potentially unsafe concrete on the site.
Hospital chiefs say they are releasing millions of pounds they received from the Government in ‘phases’ to resolve the issue safely.
A tendering process was closed for a contract on January 28 with an anticipated start date in February.
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was identified in the kitchen area at PRH in September 2023 and chiefs closed it for safety reasons.
Hospital employees worked to provide an alternative for patients to receive hot meals and were praised for getting the temporary kitchen up and running in a week.
On October 30, 2024 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that more than £1 billion will be invested to tackle dangerous RAAC and make inroads into the existing backlog of critical maintenance, repairs, and upgrades across the NHS. PRH was named on that list.
A spokesperson for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said: “We are pleased to have been allocated multi-million pound funding, to be released in phases, to remove RAAC identified at Princess Royal Hospital.
“Following extensive surveys, RAAC were identified in the kitchen area and a small, non-clinical compound.
“Our estates team undertakes regular RAAC monitoring in line with IStructE guidance and has temporary restrictions in place to ensure the safety for everyone.”
