Repairs to medical gas pipes at new Belfast maternity hospital estimated at £50,000

The Health Minister has announced that rectifying issues with medical gas pipes at Belfast’s new maternity hospital will incur a cost of £50,000. Located at the Royal Victoria site, the hospital project has experienced substantial setbacks, now running nearly a decade behind its original schedule. Furthermore, it has recently come to light that a significant concentration of bacteria in the facility’s water system might lead to additional delays. During a statement delivered to the Assembly, Mike Nesbitt stated: “I have again met the Trust and it has assured me the issue with the medical gas pipework will be remedied as swiftly as possible.” He further added: “I have been advised the cost to resolve the issue will be approximately £50,000.” The minister also noted that while this defect had been known for a period, the Belfast Trust and Departmental Officials had only recently obtained a report outlining the potential solutions for the problem. He additionally affirmed that the Trust “will work to ensure that the issue is fixed as quickly as possible and that it will not add any further to the delays”. According to an Audit Office report released in February, construction on the new maternity building began in November 2017. This report indicated that phase one was progressing towards an August 2020 completion, phase two was anticipated to conclude in March 2021, and phase three in September 2021. Auditors were informed by the Department of Health that Pseudomonas bacteria was found in the water system during the commissioning phase for Phase One. In response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the trust disclosed that pseudomonas had been identified across multiple buildings it manages. In November, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt disclosed a new problem concerning the medical gas pipework. He characterized this development to the Assembly at the time as “another totally shocking revelation”.