Work to begin to remove RAAC at Princess Royal Hospital

Specialist teams will soon begin work to safely remove Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) found in a kitchen area at Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital (PRH).

The safety of patients, staff and visitors will be a priority during the work and following completion, the hospital’s restaurant and kitchens will be upgraded, improving the experience for all who will benefit from larger, more modern facilities.

A new doctors’ mess is also being created and a new purpose-built plant room.

The kitchen and Apley restaurant at PRH have been closed since the RAAC was identified in Autumn 2023.

Temporary catering facilities are currently in place for patients, staff and visitors. These will continue for the duration of the work, which is being carried out in phases and is expected to be fully completed next Spring.

The work will be carried out by specialist contractors in line with guidance and whilst it will not impact on our patients or staff, their safety is paramount.

Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “Following the allocation of national funding, work can commence on the safe removal of the RAAC that was identified at PRH.”

“Due to the nature of these works, we will have the opportunity to modernise our kitchens and upgrade our restaurant facilities which will increase in size. This is positive news and will further enhance the catering facilities that we are able to offer.

“Thank you to our patients, visitors and staff for their continued patience and understanding in preparation of, and during, these works. We would also like to thank our catering and estates teams who have put in place temporary measures and worked differently to support our patients and staff.”