News

October 2024

Work to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)

Date of release: 1 October 2024

The Trust is enacting a temporary closure within area A27 (outpatients) at New Cross Hospital to enable an important building project to get under way. Contractors have been onsite since September preparing the area ahead of work to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which has been found to be present in parts of the building’s roof.

We have already had independent tests done on this roof, which concluded that the presence of RAAC does not pose any current risk to health and safety. However, we feel that the right thing to do is have it removed as a precaution. The works will begin this month and last until approximately April 2025.

All services based in the affected area will be relocated to alternative locations on the New Cross site. There is an area to the rear of A27 that has no RAAC in the roof space and will not be affected by the works, so some services will move to this area, while others will move to locations in the main hospital building.

If you have an appointment or minor procedure scheduled while the works are under way, please check your letter for details of where you need to go and how to get there. All services are continuing to operate as normal in their temporary locations.

We are extremely grateful to our patients for their understanding and support, and we apologise for any inconvenience that may be caused by these temporary moves. We would like to assure patients and staff that a full site survey has been conducted, and there is no RAAC present in any other location at New Cross or on any other Trust site.

We will keep this page up to date with the latest news from the project.

FAQs

The works are scheduled for completion around April 2025.

Our estates and facilities teams have worked closely with every affected service, to identify an appropriate new location, taking into account each service’s individual requirements. Information about the temporary location will be provided to patients before they are due to come in for their appointment or procedure.

Our staff will keep you informed about where to report to for your appointment or procedure. If you are due to visit us within the next week and you have not been contacted with an updated location, please contact the relevant department to confirm.

Communications about your appointment will include detail of where you need to report to. Wayfinding signs, directories and maps are located throughout the New Cross site and our staff are always happy to help you find your way. If you are due to visit outpatients within the next week and you have not been contacted with an updated location, please contact the relevant department to confirm.

Your appointment letter will include location details including the nearest car park, as normal.

We commissioned a survey to check for RAAC on all our Trust sites last year when the potential issues with this material in construction first came to light nationally. The survey found just one location that contained RAAC – part of the roof of A27. We then arranged further dedicated safety checks, which found the roof was structurally sound and posed no present risk to those in the building, however, we took the decision to commission expert contractors to remove the material as a precaution.

Yes. On learning of the presence of RAAC in this location, we commissioned dedicated safety checks, which found that the roof was structurally sound and posed no present risk to those in the building, however, we took the decision to commission expert contractors to remove the material as a precaution.

No. We commissioned a thorough survey to check for RAAC on all our Trust sites last year when the potential issues with this material in construction first came to light. The survey found just one location that contained RAAC – part of the roof of A27.

Services are operating as normal during this period of temporary relocation, and we do not believe there will be any adverse impact on waiting times.