Urgent plea by Harrogate Lib Dem candidate to health minister to fund £20m repair bill at Harrogate Hospital

In a letter addressed to the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Tom Gordon said the current situation at Harrogate Hospital was not acceptable.

“It beggars belief, the local NHS trust are having to bid for this money from NHS England and there is no guarantee they will get it," said Mr Gordon who is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Harrogate & Knaresborough at the next General Election.

"Where does this leave our patients, doctors and nurses, if the bid is unsuccessful?"

Mr Gordon's comments follow a report to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust in September in which engineers WSP found 2,500 RAAC panels.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete - labelled “crumbly concrete” – made headlines nationally after it was found to be a substandard component of many schools and hospitals built between the 1950s and 1990s.

Health officials estimate it will cost £20 million to eradicate “crumbly concrete” from Harrogate District Hospital, which was built in the 1970s.

The report revealed that remedial work had already been carried out at the hospital on Lancaster Park Road on 12 “high-risk” panels with some theatres and corridors made safe with props.

But further propping of panels might be needed.

In the letter to the Health Minister, Mr Gordon said it was vital that Harrogate Hospital was repaired fully and properly.

"It is simply not acceptable that people are receiving care, or trying to work, in an environment where temporary props are require to stop crumbling concrete collapsing above their heads,” he said.

"This is scandalous.

"Ensuring that the town's hospital is fit for the future is a priority to me and many residents I've spoken with. People are outraged.

“The Government must act and release the funds to fix this crumbling concrete crisis at our district hospital at once."

Residents can add their name to the letter to the Secretary of State online at: https://www.hklibdems.uk/campaigns/hospital