Lewisham University Hospital has been confirmed to contain dangerous concrete which has the risk of collapse.

The University Hospital, located on Lewisham High Street and run by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, has been named in the latest list of hospitals confirmed instances of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) updated list to include 42 hospitals, marking an increase of 18 hospitals compared to the prior public disclosure.

This comes after a government directive issued in May, instructing NHS trusts throughout England to conduct assessments of their facilities to identify the existence of RAAC.

The revised list compiled by the NHS encompasses any hospital where RAAC has been detected, even if it is just an only a minor portion of the facility.

RAAC, a cost-effective and lightweight material with a distinctive porous texture, was a prevalent choice in construction from the 1950s to the 1990s.

A report revealed structural weaknesses limited its durability to approximately 30 years.

This material was mostly used for flat roofs but was also utilized in walls and floors.

Additionally, its aerated nature makes it "susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture" the BBC News reports.

The scrutiny of RAAC in educational institutions intensified in 2018 following an unexpected roof collapse at a primary school in Gravesend, Kent.

An NHS spokesperson said: "Where RAAC has been identified, full structural surveys will be undertaken, with mitigations and local maintenance programmes put in place to maintain safety for staff, patients and visitors and ensure patients can continue to receive the best possible care."

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts across England, said: "This old concrete puts patients and staff at risk and the picture is getting worse.

"We feared that even more of this unsafe material would be found in hospitals and NHS buildings by government-ordered surveys."

Lewisham University Hospital has been approached for further comment.