Recommendation 23

After the RAAC crisis in schools escalated in August 2023 and the Institution of Structural Engineers’ guidance was updated, NHS England asked all NHS trusts to confirm they were confident that all RAAC buildings had been identified. At the time of our evidence session, NHS England thought it likely that some further RAAC buildings would come to light. Although it did not know the precise number, it thought it was likely to be in the tens and not the hundreds.48 NHS England told us it aimed to have full surveys done of all the known RAAC sites in a matter of weeks, but the timing depended on having 40 Q 1; C&AG’s Report, para 6 41 Q 24 42 C&AG’s Report, Figure 12 43 C&AG’s Report, para 10 and Figure 1 44 Q 1 45 C&AG’s Report, para 6 and Figure 3 46 Qq 9–10; Letter from Shona Dunn, DHSC dated 26 September 2023 47 C&AG’s Report, Figure 3 48 Qq 1–3 The New Hospital Programme 15 surveyors available. After our evidence session, DHSC published an update of the number of NHS trusts and hospital sites: as at 17 October 2023 there are 42 hospital sites at 39 NHS trusts where RAAC is still to be removed.49 There are a limited number of specialist engineering firms that can undertake this work, and NHS England acknowledges that it is “fishing in the same pool” with the Department for Education which also needs surveyors for schools.50 This is vital work but also time-consuming. Visual inspections of ceilings may be insufficient as they cannot substantiate one way or the other whether structures above the ceiling are made of RAAC. Invasive inspections can in themselves be disruptive.51 In written evidence to us, the Manufacturing Technology Centre advocated a RAAC mitigation strategy to coordinate and resource the response across government.52