In September the PDA wrote requesting details of which premises in the NHS estate had RAAC. The letter said that, “The safety concerns about the existence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) so publicly highlighted in the education sector are causing some pharmacists to seek reassurances that the buildings in which they practice are safe…” and that “…to satisfy our members we would ask you to please make available a definitive list of all those buildings within the NHS estate which include RAAC and the proposals for replacing this material.”
The PDA therefore welcomes the publication of a list of NHS England premises that are known to contain RAAC. The published list shows 45 sites but says that at three sites RAAC has been eradicated, leaving 42 NHS England sites with RAAC as a current concern.
NHS England says that all hospital sites with confirmed RAAC are in an ongoing national RAAC programme. This programme is backed with additional funding of £698 million from 2021 to 2025 for trusts to put in place necessary remediation and failsafe measures.
The PDA calls upon the management at each trust to ensure local staff are made aware and kept up to date with plans to eradicate the substance. The PDA calls upon the NHS in other nations and private employers to also be transparent with employers if RAAC is present in their locations.
You can review the NHS England list here.
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