Collapse-risk concrete Raac removed from Leigh Infirmary
Work has taken place to remove collapse-risk concrete from Leigh Infirmary.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) has now been removed from 20 hospitals in England, though 41 sites still contain the substance, figures show.
Among those in the first category is Leigh Infirmary, with local health chiefs confirming that engineers have completed work on an affected building
Concerns over the safety of Raac, a lightweight material used widely in public buildings between the 1960s and 1980s, prompted a nationwide inspection in recent years of schools, hospitals, courtrooms and other structures, with risks identified at dozens of locations.
A scheme has been in place since 2021 to manage and remove Raac from the NHS estate in England, to which £1.3bn has so far been allocated.
The latest figures, the first for nearly a year concerning hospitals with Raac, show seven sites have had the substance removed in recent months.
They showed that a further 12 hospitals – including Leigh Infirmary – were due to have Raac removed by the end of March 2026. But in fact the Leigh work is already complete.
WWL spokesperson said: “A very limited amount of Raac was identified in buildings at Leigh Infirmary as part of the ongoing monitoring of our sites.
"This was limited to a small structure that did not affect the public, patients, or staff.
“Our estates and facilities team worked with the national experts in the NHS to safely secure and remove the Raac immediately, once it was identified. This was funded by Central NHS Funding, identified nationally for the removal of Raac.”
Simon Corben, NHS England director of estates, said: “Keeping patients and staff safe is always our top priority, and we have been working closely with trusts to manage Raac safely and ensure the continuation of services while this essential work is taking place.
“The completion of these latest projects is a positive step, giving staff confidence that they can continue delivering care in safe environments, and we will keep working with trusts to complete the programme across the NHS estate at pace.”
The Government has pledged to remove Raac from every NHS building in England by 2035.
Last year the Department for Education published details on how it would permanently remove Raac from all the affected schools and colleges across the country.
Two schools in the borough were found to have Raac: Dean Trust Rose Bridge and Atherton St George’s CE Primary.