RAAC Strengthening for Hospitals

A hospital cannot simply close while its roof is replaced. Structured Carbon strengthens RAAC in place with bespoke CFRP, designed to be carried out around live clinical areas, so wards and departments stay open and patients stay put.

The RAAC challenge in healthcare estates

RAAC is a recognised risk across the NHS estate, with a national programme and substantial funding committed to surveying, managing and eradicating it, and several of the worst-affected hospitals earmarked for rebuilding. But for the many sites where RAAC is present in roofs over operational clinical space, the central difficulty is not just the engineering, it is doing anything at all without closing the very wards, theatres and departments the building exists to run. Private hospitals face the same problem with the added pressure of protecting clinical capacity and revenue.

Why hospitals need an alternative to replacement

Replacement is acutely disruptive in healthcare. Where do the patients go while a roof is rebuilt? Lost beds, relocated departments, decanted theatres and the infection-control and logistical challenge of major construction over occupied clinical areas make full replacement the option of last resort. An approach that restores structural safety while keeping the building in use is, for many trusts and operators, the only realistic route.

How we strengthen RAAC in hospitals

We follow our five-stage RAACSafe™ Protocol. Neil Smuts surveys, scans and assesses the RAAC; John Staves designs a bespoke CFRP strengthening scheme to the exact capacity required; the CFRP is manufactured in the UK and installed in place; and the strengthened structure is monitored. The in-place, low-intervention method is planned with the trust or operator around live clinical areas and to the relevant healthcare and infection-control requirements.

• Wards and departments kept open, with no wholesale decant of patients.
• Low-intervention working with containment and clean working around occupied clinical space.
• Clinical capacity protected, avoiding lost beds and relocated services.
• Decades of added safe service life from a permanent, moisture-immune solution.

See the numbers on our case study, where, across the tenders we cost, strengthening tailored to the exact roof comes in well below 15 per cent of replacement cost, and read more about CFRP strengthening and RAAC remediation.

Frequently asked questions

Can RAAC be strengthened without closing hospital wards?

In many cases, yes. Because CFRP is applied in place rather than by stripping out the structure, work can be planned around live clinical areas and phased so wards and departments stay open, avoiding the loss of bed capacity that replacement forces.

How do you control dust and infection risk in clinical areas?

The in-place method is low-intervention compared with demolition, and the works are planned with the trust or operator to the relevant healthcare and infection-control requirements, with containment and clean working around occupied clinical space.

Is CFRP strengthening an alternative to replacing RAAC hospital buildings?

Where a structural assessment confirms it is suitable, strengthening can restore capacity and extend safe service life by decades, keeping a building in operation rather than rebuilding it. The decision is made with the responsible structural engineer.

Do you work for both NHS and private hospitals?

Yes. The same approach applies across NHS trusts and private healthcare providers, where keeping clinical capacity online and avoiding the cost and disruption of replacement matters most.