FURTHER delays in replacing hospitals built with Raac concrete are a “blow” to NHS staff, as campaigners wanted to prevent the “severe risk of collapsing floors and ceilings.”

The government’s spending watchdog announced today that a pledge to deal with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in seven hospitals by 2030 would not be met.

A report from the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the infrastructure plans, drawn up by the previous Conservative government, would only be completed by 2032 and 2033.

Despite the new timeline, the NAO also claimed that some new building projects are already facing pressure to finish for their revised deadline.

The watchdog also said that by the end of 2025, works to alleviate the risks of Raac have already cost more than £500 million.

Campaigners and unions hit back, warning that longer delays will mean “greater risks” for patients and NHS staff, and will mean  “higher costs” to fix the issues plaguing NHS hospitals.

Raac is a lightweight material which was used widely in the 1960s and ’80s to build public buildings such as hospitals and schools.

The previous government pledged to replace seven hospitals built primarily from Raac after safety concerns led to a nationwide inspection of schools, hospitals, courtrooms and other state-owned structures.

An independent report published in 2022 and cited by the NAO found that 2030 would be the latest possible date to replace the buildings.

Hospitals slated for replacement include Airedale, Queen Elizabeth King’s Lynn, Hinchingbrooke, Mid Cheshire Leighton, Frimley Park, West Suffolk Hospital and James Paget Hospital in Great Yarmouth.

Responding to the report, Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) co-chairman Dr John Puntis said it was “hugely regrettable” that the deadline will now be “pushed back by several years.”

“This exposes both staff and patients to severe risk from collapse of floors and ceilings and incurs ongoing expense in trying to maintain a safe environment,” he told the Morning Star.

“Lack of capital funding for the NHS was highlighted as a major problem in the Darzi report and remains a key issue in terms of getting the NHS back on its feet.”

Unison head of health Helga Pile agreed, saying: “The delay to getting these hospitals replaced will come as a blow to staff, patients, and local communities.

“The longer the delays, the greater the risks to staff and patients and the higher the costs of getting them sorted,” she told the Star.

“It’s critical these projects are properly completed with the right funding and careful planning to meet the long-term needs of staff, patients and the wider health service.”

Ms Pile also said the problems with NHS buildings go far beyond Raac, adding: “It’s right that hospitals with RAAC are given urgent attention. But many other NHS buildings are in dire need of upgrading after years of neglect.

“That can’t come soon enough for staff forced to work in dilapidated buildings that are not fit to deliver high-quality care in a modern, safe and sustainable environment.”

Friday’s report said that while the current Labour government’s New Hospital Programme prioritises these new hospital projects, the NAO said that the revised 2032/2033 dealing would have “implications for maintenance costs and patient safety.”

Only Hinchingbrooke, James Paget Hospital, Leighton, Queen Elizabeth King’s Lynn and Frimley Park hospitals are currently set to open in 2032. The others are expected in 2033.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said last January that the construction of new facilities would take at least a decade longer than planned.

He also set out a new timetable, the final part of which will not begin until between 2035 and 2039, described by the NAO as a “more realistic” plan.

It revealed the total cost of investing in 46 hospital schemes would be £60 billion — of which £56bn is capital — and would have a completion date of 2045/46.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson defended the revised deadlines, saying: “This report demonstrates this government has put the new hospital programme on a stable long-term footing after inheriting a plan that was unfunded and undeliverable.

“The NAO’s interpretation of the changing costs of the scheme is mistaken as this does not include the additional nine hospitals we are now building.”