AN NHS report has laid bare the structural problems at Airedale Hospital and says there is an “urgent need” to build a replacement before 2030.

The Steeton hospital opened in 1970 and serves 220,000 people living across the Craven and Bradford districts.

But the majority of the hospital’s walls, floors and roofs were built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) which is weaker than normal concrete and initially had a lifespan of 30 years.

A structural safety report written by Fran Hewitt, senior programme manager at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, has been presented to North Yorkshire County Council’s scrutiny of health committee.

It notes that following an investigation, 5,400 of the 20,000 load-bearing RAAC planks have been logged with at least one defect.

Around 500 of these are “severely damaged”.

Structural engineers also found several areas of the roof that required “urgent” structural support.

The report said RAAC is so endemic within the building that it is not “financially, structurally or operationally viable” to remove and replace it all.

A programme of repairs is underway at the hospital that involves installing steel frames to reduce the risk of collapse, but the report says this is “not a long-term solution” and is having an impact on services.

The report said one inpatient bed was lost for more than 200 days because a prop to support the roof had to be positioned in its place.

Last year, the Act as One health and care partnership, which covers Bradford and Craven, bid for Government funding to rebuild the hospital but it is still awaiting a response.

The deteriorating condition of Airedale Hospital was raised by Councillor Andy Solloway at the Skipton and Ripon area committee meeting.

Cllr Solloway asked Conservative MP for Skipton Julian Smith to lobby ministers for a new hospital to be built.

Mr Smith said a total rebuild “looks difficult” but that repairs were ongoing and he would be pushing to ensure the building is safe for patients and staff.

Cllr Solloway said after the meeting the structural report painted an “absolutely desperate” picture for the hospital.

He added: “Our local hospital is falling down, no two words about it."

Last year, plans for a new hospital were among an ambitious £1.7 billion-plus package of proposals put forward to the Government.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has previously said structural engineers have advised that the hospital should be replaced by 2030.