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With delays to Phase One of the hospital redevelopment pushing back the opening date of the new Critical Care Unit by a few months, it's not yet known what impact that might have on Phase Two of the modernisation plan, which doesn't currently have a start date.
HSC President, Deputy Al Brouard joined others yesterday for a media call at the new CCU.
To pre-empt any questions regarding Phase 2 of the 'Our Hospital Modernisation' programme, he said preparatory work is ongoing.
"The cost estimate for Phase Two has resulted in the OHM team working with Northmores which is conducting an extensive value engineering exercise," he explained.
"This work has been taking place since early July and work continues."
The cost estimate for Phase Two has already increased by close to £30million - revealed earlier this year.
When he had to go public with that information - which had previously been withheld from the political decision makers by civil servants - Deputy Brouard told the States that his Committee 'simply had no idea of the hike in prices' and that his Committee was 'let down by so-called professional civil servants'.
The initial Northmores review into the matter and published last week found that States processes around procurement and tenders are "fit for purpose" but that the three civil servants at the centre of the row had "failed to appreciate their duty" to notify other officers of projected increases for the hospital project.
They no longer work for the States.
Pictured: The second phase of the hospital modernisation project promises a large expansion to capacity and improvements to facilities for staff and patients.
The review, which was led by Martin Thornton, found that governance issues didn't lead to the project’s problems, but he recommended that lines of accountability, reporting, and promotions to specialist roles should be improved after finding “serious issues” with communication between senior States officials and departments.
Moving forward with Phase Two of the Hospital Modernisation plan is paramount with it including refurbishment work of existing internal spaces to update facilities while offering more capacity for patient services.
Phase One, which is coming to a delayed conclusion, is going to offer a new Critical Care Unit, increasing the island's surgical capacity helping the hospital meet the ever-increasing demand for those services.
When it opens it will have eight beds, although that will eventually grow to 12. It will also help provide a new Post-Anaesthetic Care Unit.
Despite the construction work being in its final stages there’s still plenty to do before patients can make use of the new facilities.
Once that building work is done, teams will be busy with some essential specialist work, including Clinical Cleaning, and the appropriate testing of the new unit, to ensure it’s fully equipped and defect free.
The States say the delay is unfortunate, but that the alternative, in rushing the opening of the Unit, would present a clinical risk to patients.
Phase One has come in under budget though, despite the delay to the opening date.
Pictured top: Deputy Al Brouard pictured yesterday at the new Critical Care Unit at the PEH.
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