Closure threat over hospital’s failing fabric

View of Doncaster. Getty/Teamjackson

A major acute hospital could be closed for safety reasons after failing to make the English rebuilding programme.

Executives at the Doncaster Royal Infirmary raised the alarm in the wake of the review of buildings following new concerns over aerated concrete.

Last week a large section of ceiling collapsed in a corridor of the hospital – and two years ago the hospital faced a partial closure after water got into the electricity supply.

The ceiling collapse has also been blamed on water and affected the endoscopy unit.

The hospital was originally placed on a shortlist to be one of the government’s 40 new hospitals – but did not make the final list.

Its annual accounts, published last month, stated: “As a result of the site’s precarious position, NHS England and Improvement are now working with the trust on contingency plans in the event of a full or partial site closure enforced by incident or regulators.”