NEVILL Hall Hospital in Abergavenny has just one working lift, it has been revealed.

Plans for the redevelopment of the hospital are currently being drawn up by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which is running a public engagement campaign to seek the public’s views on which services should be based there, including a presentation at Monmouth’s Bridges Centre on Tuesday, August 12 (5.30pm to 7.30pm).

The NHS body has been developing proposals for what it calls “enhanced local general hospitals”, that also include Newport’s Royal Gwent and Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr in Ystrad Mynach, as a result of its centralising its most acute services at the Grange Hospital in Cwmbran, which opened in 2020.

Nevill Hall has been identified as the board’s priority among its building estate as large parts of it are impacted by lightweight Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete concrete.

Public buildings across the UK were found to be at risk from RAAC, that was a commonly used material before new safety guidance was issued in August 2023.

All flat-roofed buildings at Nevill Hall, which opened in the 1960s, have RAAC present, with only the hospital’s two ‘H’ towers, that house its wards, unaffected.

Health chiefs told a meeting with Monmouthshire councillors they are developing the first stage of a business plan, a strategic outline case, for submission to the Welsh Government for funding for a new building likely between the two tower blocks.

“The challenge of developing Nevill Hall has always been there, though it is ramped up the priority list by the presence of RAAC,” health board director of planning Hannah Evans told the joint meeting of Monmouthshire’s public services and people scrutiny committees.

Fortnightly checks by engineers are carried out on all areas where scaffolding is used to prop up roofs containing RAAC, and Ms Evans said it isn’t intended undertaking the costly removal of RAAC, with the preferred plan to redevelop the site.

She said there is a “challenging maintenance backlog” at Nevill Hall, estimated at £35m in 2023, which also includes its lifts.

Conservative councillor for Goytre Fawr, Jan Butler, said there was just one working lift at the 213-bed hospital, causing queues and overcrowding, including with haematology patients with weakened immune systems, said Cllr Butler.

Ms Evans said: “We are not waiting to resolve the RAAC to sort the lifts out. We are sorting those lifts as a priority and have got a plan in place to do that.”

Some services would also be relocated to manage use of the lifts, which she described as “old” and requiring more frequent maintenance.

The strategic outline case for the redevelopment of Nevill Hall is expected to be put before the health board’s September meeting for approval and submission to the Welsh Government.

Work on new buildings wouldn’t be expected to begin until 2027 or 2028.

The public engagement period runs until Friday, August 15. As well as the presentation at Bridges, an online meeting via Microsoft Teamis being held from 5.30pm to 7pm on Thursday, August 7, and a link is available by emailing [email protected].