Seven entire NHS hospitals have been deemed ‘structurally unsound’ in an ‘utterly damning’ report which found the health service has ‘seriously deteriorated’ due to under-investment.

The ‘crumbling’ sites have been identified in a document published today by public spending watchdog, the National Audit Office.

The two worst affected are West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds and James Paget University Hospital in Norfolk.

They are joined by Airedale General Hospital in West Yorkshire; Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey; Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire; Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kings Lynn and Leighton Hospital in Cheshire.

Millions of pounds has been spent on installing temporary measures at the hospitals in peril – including £65m at West Suffolk amid concerns the ceiling beams could collapse.

The report also found the government is unlikely to deliver on a 2019 election manifesto pledge to build 40 new NHS hospitals by 2030, as well as completing eight schemes already in construction or pending final approval.  

The seven ‘structurally unsound’ hospitals all have Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) – a cheap, lightweight material likened to an Aero chocolate bar – throughout.  

They are among 41 buildings at 23 trusts containing RAAC, used extensively from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Industry bodies warned in the late 1990s that the RAAC was unlikely to be structurally sound for more than 30 years.

In 2018 the sudden partial collapse of a Kent school roof sparked a national alert about the risk of sudden failure – with NHS England asking trusts to survey their estates for RAAC in 2019.

The government has vowed to eradicate the material from the NHS estate by 2035, earmarking £685million over five years up to 2024-25 to mitigate immediate safety risks.  

The NAO report, entitled Progress with the New Hospital Programme, said: ‘In recent years, the NHS has become aware of a serious issue with its buildings constructed from lightweight RAAC.

‘A number of hospitals still in operation today contain RAAC, including seven which have the material throughout.’

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Delays to projects mean the target to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 is unlikely to be met, the NAO said.

It also warned cost-cutting could lead to hospitals that are too small, with ‘unrealistic’ assumptions made about future patient demand.

The government failed to achieve good value for money, the report found – with progress slower than expected despite the project costing £1.1bn by March this year.

Staff shortages mean the design for a standardised hospital has been delayed and might not be finished until next May.   

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) adopted a ‘broad’ definition of ‘new’ – including the refurbishment of existing buildings as well as brand new hospitals, the NAO said.

In total, 32 hospitals in England classed as ‘new’ by the government are expected to be completed by 2030.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said the programme had been altered to urgently deal with hospitals built with RAAC in danger of collapse.  

A DHSC spokesperson said it remained ‘firmly committed’ to delivering the new hospitals in a bid to cut waiting lists – despite the number of patients waiting a year for urgent treatment rising by 15% according to new data.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today vowed the government would meet its target of 40 hospitals by 2030, insisting it was ‘just one of many things that we’re doing for the health service’.

But critics demanded Mr Barclay should appear in parliament ‘immediately’ to explain the report findings.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘This shocking report could not be more damning of the failing new hospitals programme.

‘The Conservatives have overpromised, under-delivered, and they’ve been found out.

‘Meanwhile patients are being treated in outdated, crumbling hospitals.’

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper offered an equally scathing assessment, describing the NAO report as ‘utterly damning’.

‘People are fed up with the Conservatives repeating empty promises and slogans, while patients are treated in crumbling hospital buildings in urgent need of repair.

‘Steve Barclay must come to Parliament immediately and respond to the findings of this report.’

Chief executive of NHS Providers, a membership organisation for health workers in England, said many trusts in the New Hospital Programme are ‘deeply disappointed’ by the lack of progress.

The NAO report pointed to chronic underfunding of the NHS in recent years.

‘Overall, parts of the NHS estate do not meet the demands of a modern
health service, meaning many hospitals would benefit from refurbishment
or replacement rather than just repairs,’ it concluded.

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