It has been confirmed that the new £335m Royal Liverpool will undergo a further delay and is now unlikely to open during 2018. The delay is following the collapse of Carillion, which was the contractor appointed to build the hospital.
The hospital is reported to be around 90% complete, but work has stopped on site. Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman told the BBC earlier this week that she would be pressing ministers to minimise the delay because she did not “want months to pass before work resumes.”
In response to a written question in Parliament from Mrs Ellman, Stephen Barclay MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) said that the PFI contract between the Trust (Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust) and the PFI Project Company - The Hospital Company (Liverpool) - is still in place and therefore the company is still contractually obliged to manage the project and find another firm to continue the work.
“The PFI Project Company is currently in discussions with PwC (on behalf of the official receiver), their lenders and with other service and construction companies to assess how best to continue delivering these contracts. We are expecting news soon following the PFI company’s discussions with its lenders.” (Response on February 5).
In a statement published on February 6, Aidan Kehoe, Trust Chief Executive, said the Trust is working with The Hospital Company (Liverpool), to get the hospital finished and open as soon as possible.
“The Hospital Company is working to secure the services of existing sub-contractors and former Carillion construction staff to continue the work. This is because they have the best understanding of the work that is required to finish the job,” he said.
“There are highly complex discussions taking place between various parties to get sub-contractors back on site as soon as possible. However, many of these firms are facing financial difficulties as a result of Carillion’s collapse, therefore this process will take some time. Given this situation we expect a significant delay and it will prove challenging to get the new Royal finished before the end of the year.
“The Trust is doing all it can to minimise the delay. Our local politicians and others have been hugely supportive and we will continue to liaise closely with them and the Department of Health. We all want the best for our patients and the people of Liverpool and that is to move into our world class new hospital.
“When it is built the new Royal will be at the heart of one of Europe’s leading health and life sciences hubs and will provide the best possible environment for cutting-edge healthcare and research.”
