Morgan Sindall has won work to remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at an Essex hospital.
The contractor has been appointed by the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to carry out a series of upgrades at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.
The work, which was procured through the NHS Shared Business Services framework, will see 4,000 square metres of hospital space upgraded, including the removal of all RAAC from the trust’s buildings.
The RAAC crisis has been a significant issue for hospitals since at least summer 2021, with NHS England warning trusts last year that they should be prepared to evacuate due to the potential for structures containing the material to collapse.
The Department of Health and Social Care has committed £689m to removing RAAC from all NHS buildings in England by 2035. The material has been found at 54 hospitals to date, including in floor and wall panels at Broomfield.
Morgan Sindall has been tasked with keeping the hospital fully operational during construction and minimising any disruption.
Dale Smith, head of operations at Morgan Sindall Construction’s Essex business, said: “RAAC refurbishment is one of the less widely publicised challenges facing our health services. However, it is one that faces a lot of trusts across the country.
“With the 2035 RAAC eradication directive now in place and a pushing need for a flexible but cost-effective solution to be implemented by the NHS, we hope others will take the action required, like Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, to upgrade their facilities.”
Morgan Sindall has previously carried out RAAC removal for the James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
The value of the Broomfield works has not been disclosed. The trust received Whitehall funding of £7.3m in 2022/23 and £5.8m in 2023/24, board papers show.
