£100k Raac repair bill for derelict Denburn Medical Centre

NHS Grampian has been forced to carry out costly repairs to buildings affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) – including one that has been abandoned for more than a year.

Figures released through a Freedom of Information request has revealed the scale of repairs required to fix many of the health board’s facilities, including Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) and several north-east health centres.

Since the dangers of Raac made the headlines, it has been a race against time to secure and repair affected buildings for numerous organisations, mainly Aberdeen City Council.

The derelict centre has been closed for more than a year. Image: Scott Baxter / DC Thomson.

£100k Raac repair bill for abandoned Denburn Medical Centre

For NHS Grampian, this has included Denburn Medical Centre on Rosemount Viaduct, where £106,080.20 has been spent on repairs since January 2023.

The medical practice was earmarked for closure before Raac was found, but the discovery sped up plans to move staff and patients out of the facility.

Staff relocated to Carden House in September 2023 just a ten-minute walk away, and Denburn Medical Centre closed for good that same month.

Despite now being considered derelict, the health board still had to stump up the money to “ensure the fabric of the building did not deteriorate and pose a safety risk”.

In total, NHS Grampian has racked up total Raac repair costs of just under £560,000 since January 2023.

This accounts for 83.6% of the total cost to repair Raac-affected buildings throughout Scotland’s health boards.

Raac is widely known for its bubbly texture which has caused concerns over its strength in recent years. Image: Supplied.

The closest other health board was NHS Lothian, with a total bill of £40,904, while the total for Scotland was £668,811.

NHS Grampian already ‘strapped for cash’

An NHS Grampian spokesperson said remediation work to manage the presence of Raac in labs and within ARI is “ongoing”.

“Ensuring staff and patients are safe is a key part of this and we can reassure users of those locations that RAAC is kept under close review,” they said.

“We are making excellent progress in managing this issue and are sharing learning with other NHS boards to assist them with similar works.”

Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr said: “All health boards are strapped for cash, but it’s a concern that Grampian seems to be bearing the brunt of the RAAC crisis.

The health centre was found to have Raac which prompted a swift exit by staff from the centre. Image: Scott Baxter / DC Thomson.

“While other NHS boards have incurred little or no expense to address this, the bill facing NHS Grampian accounts for more than 80% of the nationwide total.

“That will be of concern to patients and staff, whose lives are made increasingly difficult by dwindling resources.

“I hope the health board can come to some agreement with the Scottish Government to get assistance with this cost, which could hardly come at a worse possible time.”