Historic asbestos remains in parts of the NHS estate. The clearest figures below come from a regional TUC/Labour Research Department FOI study, NHS Resolution claims records and NHS England’s estate statistics. These datasets have different coverage: a trust is not a hospital, a building containing asbestos is not necessarily exposing occupants, and a claim is not a recorded death.
Key facts and figures
- 451 premises and buildings in London were reported to contain asbestos in the TUC/LRD study using responses collected in the first half of 2022.
- 67% of NHS premises surveyed in London and Scotland still contained asbestos — 1,146 of 1,718 buildings (TUC/LRD FOI, H1 2022 data).
- 66% of those asbestos-containing NHS premises are open to public access (TUC/LRD, 2023).
- £17.3bn was the estimated NHS England backlog-maintenance cost in 2025/26, published on 15 October 2026. This covers all backlog work, not asbestos alone.
- 353 claims were recorded for NHS employees with mesothelioma in the NHS Resolution data covering 2013/14–2021/22.
- 145 deaths among health professionals were recorded in the age-limited ONS series for 2001–2020 reproduced by the MAGS researchers. This is not all NHS staff or all ages.
- 695 premises and buildings in Scotland were reported to contain asbestos in the same TUC/LRD 2022 FOI study.
- ~300,000 non-domestic buildings was HSE’s broad asbestos estimate cited by Parliament in 2022; it is not a current hospital count.
Reviewed on 15 October 2026. The estate-maintenance figure is from ERIC 2025/26, published today. The asbestos prevalence study uses FOI responses from the first half of 2022, while the claims and mortality comparisons are historical. None is a current UK-wide census of asbestos in hospitals.
How many NHS hospitals contain asbestos?
The TUC/LRD study identified asbestos in 1,146 of 1,718 surveyed NHS premises and buildings in London and Scotland, or 67%. The data were collected in the first half of 2022 from 48 responding organisations and concerned premises for which they reported duty-holding responsibility. It does not establish the proportion of all UK hospitals containing asbestos.
The reason mirrors the picture in schools and the wider building stock: the great post-war hospital-building era ran from the 1948 founding of the NHS through to the 1970s, exactly when asbestos use in UK construction peaked. Any hospital built or refurbished before the year 2000 may contain asbestos in its pipe lagging, boiler and plant rooms, ceiling and floor tiles, sprayed coatings, partition walls and service ducts — the same asbestos-containing materials catalogued in our guide to asbestos-containing materials in UK buildings. Under the current regime, the default is not removal but management in place: asbestos in good condition, recorded and monitored, is generally left where it is until it is damaged or in the way of building work.
Within that study, 451 surveyed London premises and buildings and 695 in Scotland contained asbestos. The median London trust reported asbestos in 85% of its surveyed premises, but that trust-level median is different from the combined London building percentage. Another 1,109 premises were outside the respondents’ reported duty-holding responsibility and therefore outside these asbestos totals.
| Measure | Figure | Data period / coverage |
|---|---|---|
| London premises and buildings reported with asbestos | 451 | TUC/LRD FOI responses, first half 2022 |
| Surveyed London and Scotland premises with asbestos | 67% (1,146 of 1,718) | Respondents’ duty-holder premises, 2022 |
| Asbestos-containing premises open to public access | 66% (753 of 1,146) | Same 2022 regional study |
| London trusts: median asbestos share of surveyed premises | 85% | Trust-level median, 2022 |
| Scottish premises and buildings reported with asbestos | 695 | TUC/LRD FOI responses, 2022 |
| Responding NHS organisations | 48 | 26 London trusts and 22 Scottish boards |
How many NHS buildings with asbestos are open to the public?
In the TUC/LRD study, 753 of the 1,146 asbestos-containing premises and buildings were open to the public, or 66%. That refers to access to the building, not access to the asbestos itself. The material could be in a restricted plant room or enclosed within the structure.
The Royal College of Nursing echoed the finding in its July 2023 position statement, noting that two-thirds of the surveyed NHS premises in London and Scotland still contained asbestos and that two-thirds of those were publicly accessible. It is worth being precise about what "open to public access" means and does not mean: it describes the building, not the specific location of the asbestos within it. Well-managed asbestos in a ceiling void or behind a plant-room door is not the same as exposed, damaged material in a corridor. The concern the unions raise is about how reliably that management holds up across an ageing estate under severe maintenance pressure — which is what the backlog figures below speak to.
Why hasn't asbestos been removed from NHS buildings?
NHS trusts in England reported an estimated £17.3 billion cost to eradicate backlog maintenance for 2025/26. ERIC, published on 15 October 2026, defines this as work needed to restore the estate to a specified condition, excluding planned maintenance. It is an all-maintenance figure and does not quantify asbestos-removal costs or prove why an individual asbestos project was delayed.
The duty to manage asbestos in Great Britain requires risks to be assessed and controlled; it does not impose blanket removal of every asbestos-containing material. Material that is in good condition, protected and unlikely to be disturbed can remain under effective management. Where that is not possible, or refurbishment will disturb it, appropriate remedial work or removal is needed. The Government rejected the Committee’s proposed 40-year removal deadline in July 2022.
| NHS estate context (England) | Figure | Period / meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated cost to eradicate backlog maintenance | £17.3bn | 2025/26; all backlog work |
| Total cost of running the NHS estate | £14.4bn | 2025/26; operating cost, not backlog |
| Total estate energy consumption | 11.2bn kWh | 2025/26; energy use, not asbestos data |
| Non-domestic buildings thought to contain asbestos | ~300,000 | Broad HSE estimate cited by Parliament in 2022 |
How many NHS staff have died from asbestos exposure?
There is no complete current count of NHS staff deaths caused by workplace asbestos exposure. Recorded occupation, benefit classifications and civil claims cover different populations. They cannot be divided to produce a reliable “undercount multiplier”.
The MAGS researchers’ September 2023 update reproduced 145 health-professional mesothelioma deaths in the ONS series for 2001–2020, or 7.25 a year. Their table also reported 353 NHS employee claims over nine financial years. The death series is age-limited and narrower than the whole NHS workforce; claims concern people who alleged workplace exposure, not necessarily deaths in the same years.
The researchers highlighted possible under-recording, but also published corrections to earlier NHS claims data and warned that the datasets are difficult to compare. Their broader estimate of 40–65 NHS workers a year is a research interpretation, not an official annual count of NHS deaths.
How many asbestos claims does the NHS face each year?
NHS Resolution’s published response records 353 claims from 2013/14 to 2021/22, averaging about 39 per year over that historical period. The MAGS update identifies this as the more reliable series and corrects earlier claims figures. It should not be presented as the current annual number of claims, successful cases or deaths.
Claims, settlements and payments are separate measures, and a payment can occur years after a claim is received. The corrected claims series does not support a single current NHS asbestos payout total. Our compensation statistics guide explains the separate government schemes and why their totals also need careful interpretation.
Can I claim compensation for asbestos exposure in an NHS hospital?
A person who develops an asbestos-related disease may have a claim if a responsible NHS employer or occupier negligently caused relevant exposure. The evidence, applicable law and limitation period matter; exposure alone does not establish entitlement. Seek specialist advice promptly rather than assuming that a particular deadline or outcome applies throughout the UK.
This page covers the healthcare-estate slice only. The general rules on eligibility, time limits, government compensation schemes and average settlement values are the province of our asbestos compensation statistics page, and nothing here is legal advice — anyone considering a claim should speak to a specialist industrial-disease solicitor.
How do NHS hospitals fit into the wider UK asbestos picture?
2,146 people died of mesothelioma across Great Britain in 2024, according to HSE’s July 2026 provisional figures — down 109 on the 2,255 deaths in 2023, and below the 2011–2020 average of roughly 2,508 a year. Healthcare workers are one occupational strand within that national total, which is dominated by construction, shipbuilding and other heavy-industry trades. For those headline national figures — deaths by disease, exposure across the whole workforce and the long-term mortality trend — see our UK asbestos statistics page.
The hospital estate also connects to the other buildings where asbestos was installed at scale. The schools story runs in close parallel — see asbestos in schools statistics — as does the picture across housing and the general building stock in asbestos in UK homes and buildings. The Work and Pensions Committee's 2022 inquiry estimated that around 300,000 non-domestic buildings across Great Britain still contain asbestos; hospitals are among the highest-occupancy, highest-footfall examples in that stock, which is why they recur in the debate about whether managed-in-place asbestos is a durable long-term answer.
Frequently asked questions
How many NHS hospitals contain asbestos?
A regional TUC/LRD study found asbestos in 67% of surveyed NHS premises and buildings in London and Scotland: 1,146 of 1,718, using responses collected in the first half of 2022. Those are selected premises and buildings, not all UK hospitals or a 2026 census.
How many NHS staff have died from asbestos exposure?
No complete current NHS staff death total is established by these sources. Age-limited health-professional mortality data, benefit records and NHS employee claims have different coverage and cannot be treated as interchangeable counts. The MAGS research discusses possible under-recording and provides corrected historical claims data.
Can I claim compensation for asbestos exposure in an NHS hospital?
A claim may be possible where negligent exposure caused an asbestos-related disease. Eligibility, evidence and time limits depend on the case and jurisdiction. Obtain specialist advice promptly; the historical number of NHS claims does not predict whether an individual claim will succeed.
Why hasn't asbestos been removed from NHS buildings?
Asbestos does not have to be removed merely because it is present. Material in good condition, protected and unlikely to be disturbed can be managed in place, while unsafe or unmanageable material requires appropriate action. NHS England’s £17.3bn maintenance backlog in 2025/26 provides estate context but is not an asbestos-removal bill.
What are NHS staff and duty holders required to do about asbestos?
Under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, each NHS body must find and record the asbestos on its estate, assess its condition, keep a written management plan and tell anyone liable to disturb it. Under Regulation 10, estates, maintenance and contractor staff whose work could disturb asbestos need asbestos awareness training. Our guide to who needs asbestos awareness training explains where that duty applies.
For NHS estates teams, maintenance staff and the contractors who work across the hospital estate, our CPD-certified Asbestos Awareness Course covers the training required under Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
Work on or maintain hospital and healthcare buildings? Make sure your team can recognise asbestos before they disturb it.
Explore the Asbestos Awareness Course →Related guides
- Asbestos Statistics UK: Deaths, Exposure & Key Facts
- Asbestos in Schools Statistics UK: How Many Schools Are Affected?
- Asbestos in UK Homes & Buildings: Statistics and Facts
- Asbestos Compensation Statistics UK: Claims & Payouts
- The duty to manage asbestos: registers, plans and Regulation 4
- Who needs asbestos awareness training in the UK?
Sources & references
- TUC/LRD: original regional FOI study, collected2022 and published2023
- TUC/LRD: methodology and original tables
- NHS England: ERIC2025/26, published15October2026
- NHS Resolution: corrected mesothelioma claims data, FOI5898
- Mesothelioma UK/Sheffield:2023 updated MAGS findings and correction
- HSE: duty to manage asbestos
- HSE: provisional national deaths2024
- Parliament:2022 evidence on non-domestic buildings
- Government response to removal-deadline proposal,July2022
Mark writes about workplace health & safety, asbestos awareness and accredited online training for Asbestos Awareness Course, part of Online CPD Academy.