Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 22
22
Acknowledged
Government committed to remove RAAC by 2035 with time-limited funding allocation.
Conclusion
NHS England told us that it had set up a separate programme in 2019 to deal with RAAC.44 In 2020, government committed to remove RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035, subsequently allocating £685 million for RAAC management and remediation for the period up to 2024–25.45 This has been supplemented by £18 million of additional funding from NHS England in 2021–22 and 2022–23 as well as an unspecified amount from trusts’ own capital.46 By December 2022, DHSC had identified 41 NHS buildings with RAAC, spread across 23 trusts. This includes the seven hospitals with RAAC throughout.47
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges its commitment to eradicate RAAC by 2035, stating this will remain under review. It notes ongoing work to rebuild affected hospitals and assesses financial implications, with future funding needs beyond 2024-25 to be addressed in subsequent Spending Reviews.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The department will continue to keep the commitment to eradicate RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035 under review. Significant RAAC eradication will occur before 2035, including the work to rebuild the seven hospitals most affected by RAAC as part of the NHP. The existing hospitals will remain open and safe due to ongoing monitoring and mitigation of existing RAAC, in line with current evidence and recommendations from the Institution of Structural Engineers. The department regularly assesses the financial implications of increased RAAC identification. Work is on-going with Trusts where RAAC has been recently identified to assess the financial and clinical implications of eradicating RAAC from these sites. The funding needs for RAAC mitigation and eradication beyond 2024-25 will inform the department’s bids at subsequent Spending Reviews and future budgets.