Laing O’Rourke has finalised a detailed programme of work to remedy structural issues on the new Royal Liverpool hospital, whose construction stalled following the collapse of former main contractor Carillion.
- Cracked hospital beams add to Carillion woes
- PFI deal for Royal Liverpool Hospital terminated
- Laing O’Rourke to restart construction on Royal Liverpool hospital
Work on the hospital, originally being built under a PFI deal that was terminated in September, ground to a halt in January last year.
In February 2018, MPs investigating Carillion’s demise learned that serious cracks in concrete beams at the hospital project had been discovered in November 2016, although they only came to light in the spring of 2017.
Now a report by the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust has revealed that Laing O’Rourke, which took over from Carillion, has finalised a complex programme of works to strengthen the existing beams and reduce the loads that are causing the structural issues.
The Trust reported that it on the point of finalising its business case for the project, and was awaiting the final programme from Laing O’Rourke, which is due to be considered by its board next month before going to NHS Improvement/England and the Department for Health and Social Care for final approval.
Meanwhile, it is procuring 141 works packages “covering everything from structural works to taps”.
The Trust reported that £3m was spent on essential maintenance costs on the new Royal from July 2018 to December 2018, including tasks such as flushing the water system and providing power and heating to ensure future safety and maintenance of systems.
The Trust has also set aside a contingency of £2.5m a year for maintaining the current Royal Liverpool hospital while construction of the new hospital is completed.
