‘Critical condition’ crumbling concrete found at Kettering General Hospital maternity wing forcing reduction in bed numbers

Inspectors examining the roof of Kettering General Hospital’s maternity wing have found concrete in a ‘critical condition’.

RAAC panels were first discovered in the Rockingham Wing in December and surveyors have now confirmed that they are in a dangerous condition and will need an immediate fix.

Managers at the Rothwell Road hospital had already moved some maternity services from the top floor to enable the surveyors to carry out their work, and today they said they will have to close more beds in order to complete the assessments.

The news comes at a time when the hospital is already facing huge demand for its services and is operating at its most serious escalation level.

During the first phase of the inspection, a number of RAAC panels were found in a ‘critical condition’. The hospital said today (February 1) that they had closed those areas ‘promptly.’ This has meant it has now run out of additional space to move teams, patients and beds around to accommodate the vital assessments.

To enable surveyors access to the rest of the roof to ascertain the condition and the extent of remedial works needed, the hospital has decided to move more of the remaining services on the top floor of Rockingham Wing to other parts of our hospital in the next week.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is lightweight concrete used in construction in many buildings between the 1950s and 1990s. It was only ever meant to last for around thirty to fifty years, but a national failure to upgrade public buildings in a timely manner has meant RAAC has begun to fail, causing danger to members of the public.

Critical condition is defined as RAAC panels which require immediate remedial works.

Deborah Needham, Hospital Chief Executive, said: “The decision to move our services has not been an easy one but it’s vitally important that the surveyors complete their assessment of the building without impacting the care or experience for our patients, colleagues and visitors.

“The safety of our patients and our colleagues is our number one priority, and our teams have been working extremely hard to make sure we move our services in a safe, planned and calm manner to minimise disruption.

“Our services are being moved to other appropriate areas so our teams can continue to deliver safe and effective care in the right environment.

“I’d like to thank our brilliant teams, patients and partners for their cooperation, understanding and patience.”

Surveyors have confirmed that the ceiling/floor between the ground floor and first floor of Rockingham Wing are made from solid concrete and therefore do not require further assessments. As a result, services on the ground floor will continue as normal.

The hospital has contacted relatives and loved ones of any patients that have been moved and have kept partner organisation informed about all developments.

Assessments of the Rockingham building will continue over the next few weeks to determine a long-term plan for remedial works.

Hospital teams continue to work hard to ensure all of their comprehensive maternity and gynaecology services are maintained and are delivered in the right environment.

The moves will mean the hospital has a reduced bed capacity at a time of operational pressures across the entire county.