Airedale NHS Foundation Trust: A new hospital for Airedale
Update for the Skipton and Ripon Area Committee
Meeting date: Thursday 14 December 2024
Background
· Airedale NHS Foundation Trust received news on 25 May 2023 that it had secured a place on the Government’s New Hospital Programme.
· The scheme will enable the Trust to fully eradicate reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from Airedale General Hospital by replacing it with a new hospital by 2030.
· The current hospital is one of seven hospitals that are constructed almost entirely of RAAC: all seven are on the New Hospital Programme to be replaced.
· Airedale General Hospital has more RAAC than any other hospital. It is the only one to have been constructed with RAAC floors, and the only hospital to have identified deficiencies in the main structural frame of the building which has made it more complex to find ways to manage the RAAC in situ.
· A RAAC programme has been in place since 2020/21 with the aim of installing a range of structural supports across the hospital to maintain safety and service delivery until a new hospital is constructed.
· There are 20,000 load-bearing RAAC planks, from which around 30% are already showing signs of damage and deterioration leading to roof leaks, mould, and dust. A further 30,000 planks can be found in the walls and these are being treated with a waterproofing coating to slow their rate of deterioration.
· There are a small number of non-RAAC buildings including a modular inpatient facility which contains an ICU and a 30-bedded ward, a small office block, some operating theatres and the A&E and Acute Assessment Unit (AAU).
· Airedale General Hospital sits on a plot of approximately 43 acres of land in Steeton, near Silsden. It serves a diverse population from across parts of West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and East Lancashire.
Current situation
· Since the announcement in May, the Trust has been working with the New Hospital Programme to “onboard” to the programme. This has involved sharing its Strategic Outline Case which was published in summer 2020, and further information relating to the development of early plans for the new hospital.
· A programme team is being mobilised to take forward the planning of the new hospital and recruitment is underway for a Programme Director and other key roles.
· In the meantime, the Trust has an in-house programme team which has been successfully delivering its RAAC programme since 2021 and has been leading the “onboarding” process with some additional external expertise that has been funded through the New Hospital Programme.
· The New Hospital Programme follows HM Treasury’s business case process which requires trusts to complete a Strategic Outline Case, followed by an Outline Business Case and then a Full Business Case prior to the construction of a new hospital.
· The Trust is currently refreshing its Strategic Outline Case, which provides the case of need for a new hospital, as well as a high level “masterplan” showing the proposed size and scale, and location options for the new hospital.
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The development of
this business case will take approximately six months and a number
of key projects have already commenced. These include:
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Capacity and demand modelling |
What services will be needed in future based on what we know now, and future population and health predictions
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Clinical strategy
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How will care transform over the next 15 years and beyond to become as efficient and effective as possible.
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Digital strategy
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How will technology influence the way buildings and services are run including Smart Buildings, automated vehicles and clinical systems.
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Surveys
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A wide range of biodiversity surveys (bats, trees, etc) and ground investigations to gain a clear picture of the site.
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Enabling works |
The key projects that are needed to ‘unlock’ space and prepare the site for construction.
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Developing our vision |
Seeking the views of patients, families and local communities on the things that matter to them and their vision for a new hospital. |
Developing our vision
· A survey was launched in September at the Trust’s Annual Members’ Meeting to begin the conversation with patients, carers, families and communities about the plans for a new hospital.
· These plans are at a very formative stage and so engagement to date has been focused on ensuring that as many people as possible have been able to give their views.
· 450 members of the public and 215 staff have responded to the survey to date. The results will be analysed during December and themes identified to take forward into the development of the Strategic Outline Case.
· In addition to the survey, the Trust has been working with Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership and Here for BD&C Communities (voluntary sector organisation) to engage locally with communities served by the hospital.
· There have also been a number of workshops with clinical and operational leads to consider how the new hospital could be organised internally and which services should be co-located.
· As part of our wider role in our Bradford District and Craven place there is ongoing engagement with our partners in health and social care about both our structural/RAAC issues and the vision for the new hospital.
· Recruitment is underway for a Senior Engagement Manager and a Senior Communications Manager to take forward the programme’s Communications, Engagement and Equality Strategy, which will ensure that there are fair and frequent opportunities for users of the hospital, local residents and staff to be involved in the future development of plans.
· The Strategy will include more structure engagement with scrutiny boards, area committees, MPs and councillors including regular briefings, engagement sessions and attendance at meetings.
Enabling works
· An Enabling Works Project has commenced, and a design team has been appointed to take forward the planning of this project. It includes an architect, planning consultant, mechanical electrical and public health (MEP) specialist and civils and structural engineers.
· The design team will review the surveys and ground investigations and create a Development Control Plan (DCP) which describes the sequencing of works, interdependencies between each project, the planning requirements, and any constraints of the current locations that would need to be addressed.
· Considerations for enabling works include increasing the energy infrastructure and energy supply to the site, car parking, safe access and ingress including for construction traffic, any demolition requirements and whether any decant facilities would be needed.
· Once the project is complete, the Trust will have a much clearer picture of what enabling works are needed, how long they would take to deliver and when work would begin and conclude.
Next steps
· The Trust continues to manage its current RAAC situation and has fully structurally supported three wards, with two currently under construction. A further 16 wards and departments are having partial works to tackle pockets of areas where the RAAC is more badly affected. Work has already been undertaken in areas including the hydrotherapy pool, physiotherapy, outpatients and some office spaces.
· This rolling programme will continue into next year with another four ward areas undergoing extensive structural works and a further 10-15 having target work completed.
· The Trust will continue with its work to complete the refreshed Strategic Outline Case, site masterplan and development control plan in the spring and submit this to the New Hospital Programme whilst beginning to progress the next phase of the design and business case process.
· Further information is available on our website at www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk/about-us/securing-the-future-of-airedale
BRIEFING ENDS
For general enquiries contact:
Securing the Future Programme
anhsft.securingthefuture@nhs.net
Tel: 01535 294013