Crumbling concrete: Scarborough Hospital say work is 'well underway' to clear RAAC following discovery in July

Scarborough Hospital have told The Scarborough News that work is “well underway” to allow pathology staff to relocate back.

It comes after Scalby School and Scarborough’s YMCA, located on St. Thomas Street, had to close part of their buildings after the discovery of RAAC.

In July, our Local Democracy Reporter Anttoni James Numminen reported that some staff at Scarborough Hospital had to be relocated due to the discovery of RAAC and the “risk of a roof collapsing" in the pathology department.

A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has now told The Scarborough News: “A feasibility study has been undertaken to scope the work required to eradicate the RAAC planks at Scarborough, mainly the laboratory building, and to provide a high-level cost forecast and programme for this work.

"We hope to access the money required to eradicate the RAAC from the NHS England national RAAC programme, which we are a member of.

“In the meantime, the work that will allow pathology staff to be relocated from the first floor of the path lab is well underway and is nearly three quarters complete.

"Most of the staff have been relocated into temporary workspaces at Scarbourgh and York hospitals, either in existing spaces or the modular cabins that have been procured and installed using a combination of Trust funding and central government Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) related funding.

"The aim is to complete this work by the end of September, with every effort being made to accelerate this sooner if possible.”

In addition to this, Scalby School has been asked to close the buildings affected, meaning it now won’t open for the 2023/24 school year until Monday, September 11.

The school is required to make suitable arrangements to continue the education of their 1000 pupils until safety work can be carried out.

You can read more about the Scalby School closure here.

The YMCA have also announced that they have reopened after a professional survey to see if a crack they found in part of concrete was RAAC.

The theatre have confirmed it was not RAAC.

You can read more about the YMCA closure here.