Raac hospital has 'significant' winter pressures

A hospital in Surrey which is due to be rebuilt by 2030 has said its emergency services are experiencing "significant pressure" heading into winter.

Lance McCarthy, chief executive of the trust responsible for Frimley Park Hospital, said staff were working "tirelessly under challenging conditions".

Speaking at a meeting with NHS bosses Councillor Tony Virgo, who sits on the joint health overview and scrutiny committee at Bracknell Forest Council, said the hospital was "absolutely chock-a-block".

Frimley Park was built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) and had been earmarked for a complete rebuild under the previous government's New Hospitals Programme.

The trust is now looking at potential sites for the relocation and rebuild, while identifying areas of the existing site that are unsafe for use.

Mr Virgo had previously said he was "disappointed" that progress had not been made in publicly identifying potential new sites for the hospital, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Raac was first discovered at Frimley Park in 2012.

Unstable concrete is thought to make up about 65% of the current building.

During the NHS meeting councillors were told the trust was considering undertaking more minor operations at Heatherwood Hospital in Ascot and using Wexham Hospital in Slough to relieve pressure at Frimley Park.

Councillor Caroline Egglestone said that the trust had "excellent contingency plans" to replace the Raac at the hospital and was "involving all hospitals locally should something go wrong".

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