The Government’s mismanagement of the RAAC scandal
means that the much-needed refurbishment of St Mary’s
Hospital in Paddington is pushed till after 2030.

Most people have heard of RAAC in relation to schools but hospitals have also been affected. The government was suddenly forced to reprioritise which hospitals should be refurbished first and 7 hospitals with RAAC took precedence for redevelopment. This meant that St Mary’s Hospital, which was previously top of the queue, and which includes one of the busiest trauma and emergency centres in the capital, has now been pushed till after 2030. This is despite the fact that over the last year the hospital has had to cope with ceilings collapsing in two wards, and sewage leaking into the pharmacy.

Rachel Blake, Labour’s candidate in Cities of London & Westminster, condemned the decision to cancel the plans while raising concerns that the delay in investment “could seriously impact the health of hundreds of thousands of Londoners who rely on its services.”

Nafsika Butler-Thalassis, Labour councillor and  Cabinet Member for Adult Social care and Public Health said, “waiting till 2030 to start the redevelopment of St Mary’s is not an option. It is not fair that the government’s mismanagement of RAAC is now affecting Westminster residents and others who rely on St Mary’s for their care”.

Councillor Butler-Thalassis has written to the Secretary of State for Health, Steve Barclay for clarification on the situation. “We will work with the Trust to help secure the full rebuild needed to protect this vital health resource in the heart of our city, with the necessary investment that has been promised for so long.”

You can show your support by Standing Up For St. Mary’s and adding your name to the petition here