Petition to rebuild hospital has 9,000 signatures

Almost 9,000 people have signed a petition to rebuild a Surrey hospital which which has been found to have unstable concrete.

Frimley Park Hospital was granted funding for a replacement building in May last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

But a question mark has been thrown over the plans by the new government which said the programme would be reviewed.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the previous government’s commitments to rebuild hospitals was “undeliverable and unaffordable”.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was first discovered at Frimley Park Hospital in 2012.

The current hospital, which is made up of about 65 per cent unstable concre, has about 7,000 Raac planks in key areas such as operating theatres, intensive care units, wards and corridors.

The founder of the petition, Ed McGuinness claimed it would be "unacceptable" and "detrimental to the long-term future of Surrey Heath" for the government to cancel Frimley’s part in the programme.

A spokesperson for Frimley Park Hospital Trust said work to build a new hospital is "continuing to progress at pace".

They said staff are "working to understand" what the government’s review will mean for the hospital.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.