SEVEN NHS Fife buildings including the Queen Margaret and Lynebank hospitals in Dunfermline have been identified as containing crumbling concrete.

The health board said there was "no risk" to patients or staff and that, initially, 29 blocks in their estate were suspected as having reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

NHS Fife have now said that Lynebank's main building and the psychology, health records and health storage block, as well as parts of Kirkcaldy Health Centre's main block, “require further attention”.

And the board confirmed that all three blocks are under “further investigation”.

Risk assessments have been undertaken and appropriate mitigations have also been put in place.

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Lynebank Hospital’s Tay View and Ward 12 offices, Queen Margaret Hospital’s phase 1 main block, Adamson Hospital’s Tarvit ward and Glenrothes Hospital’s main block also contain RAAC.

NHS Fife said these four blocks are “stable” but “require annual monitoring to ensure no deterioration of the material”.

The most recent board meeting was assured that the RAAC blocks – including those “requiring further attention” – pose “no risk” to patients or staff.

“Where RAAC has been identified, it has been found to be present within parts of buildings and in some cases only specific areas within a particular block,” the health board said.

“Of the seven blocks where RAAC has been discovered, four blocks are stable and require annual monitoring to ensure no deterioration of the material. In the remaining three areas, further investigation is required.”

RAAC was a building material frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Now, the ageing material is said to be at risk of crumbling, leading to the potential collapse of buildings. Last year, the UK Government ordered the closure of more than 100 schools south of the border over RAAC safety concerns. The lightweight form of precast concrete has since been at the centre of national attention.

Since then, NHS Scotland – and by extension NHS Fife – have been surveying all properties in the NHS estate to identify any containing RAAC. The survey began in late 2023 and recently concluded in Fife.

“Last year, a desk-based survey of NHS buildings across Scotland identified areas of some buildings within the NHS Fife estate which may have potentially contained reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

"These areas were identified on the basis they were constructed during the period when RAAC was used regularly and included a number where the likelihood of containing RAAC was considered low,” director of property and asset management, Neil McCormick, said.

“More detailed independent surveys have since been carried out which confirmed that the vast majority of the areas initially identified did not contain RAAC.

"Where RAAC has been identified, a programme of regular and ongoing monitoring has already commenced to ensure there is no deterioration in the material.

Mr McCormick added: “There are a small number of areas where further investigation is required, and appropriate mitigations, including reinforcements, have been put in place where this is the case. Safety is our highest priority and there is no immediate risk to staff or patients.”

The Scottish Government is also in the process of developing guidance and a framework to provide external support for monitoring those buildings which contain RAAC.