A super-hospital in Glasgow is set to begin a multi-million-pound remediation project to remove cladding from the exterior of the building.
The work, which will start on 27 November 2022, is expected to continue until 2027. With a total cost of £33 million, the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital project will involve the removal of panels from the atrium alongside other remedial work.
According to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), the Scottish government is helping with the cost of the remedial work as part of the health board’s legal claim against the contractor. NHS GGC is suing Multiplex for £73 million over defects in the construction of the £842 million facility, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.
The legal action has been in progress since December 2019 after NHS GCC stated that a number of issues had compromised the “operational effectiveness” of the hospital since it opened in 2015. It added that these issues were having a significant impact on the “seamless delivery of safe and effective healthcare”. The deaths of two children in 2017 at the Royal Hospital for Children were later linked to water contamination at a ward where they were undergoing treatment.
NHS GGC admits that the remediation project has undergone an “extensive and robust process of planning” to ensure that the necessary cladding removal can take place with minimal disruption to the daily running of the hospital.
The Deputy Assistant Chief Officer for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Alasdair Perry, explained that the service has been working regularly with partners, including NHS GCC, to advise on fire safety matters. He adds that they were informed early on of the “fire risk relating to the panels used as wall lining within the atrium of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital”.
He added: “Our advice was to remove this material as soon as reasonably practicable and replace it with wall lining materials that reduce the fire risk.
“We welcome the steps taken to achieve that, and the actions taken demonstrate that NHS GGC has implemented the appropriate steps to mitigate the risk until the removal work can be completed.
“Ultimately, we are satisfied that the hospital can still safely operate and any risk to patients and the local community is low.”