Work to replace fire risk cladding to begin at QEUH

A £33m project to remove fire-risk cladding from the atrium of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow is about to begin. It follows advice from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The health board says the cost of the work makes up part of a legal claim they're making against the contractor Multiplex.

The health board is suing Multiplex, Brookfield Europe, Currie & Brown and Capita Property and Infrastructure for £73m over a host of problems with the complex, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.

NHSGGC is seeking an additional £18.2m for problems with the chilled water system, which uses water instead of air to cool larger buildings.

The Scottish Government is supporting the cost of the project until the outcome of the legal action is known.

Work within the atrium will start on Monday 28th November, and is set to be completed in 2027.

Patients and visitors are being told to expect disruption to their usual routes through the hospital, seating and waiting areas, and catering facilities.

The health board said: "We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, however, every effort is being made to minimise disruption, ensure that reasonable access to facilities throughout the atrium area is maintained, and to ensure alternative routes to clinics and wards are clearly marked.

In consultation with our contractor, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Government, NHS Assure and Building Standards, the project has undergone an extensive and robust process of planning, in which we have sought to strike a balance between expediting removal and replacement and minimising disruption within the atrium.

Professor Tom Steele, Director of Estates and Facilities at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to patients, visitors and staff.

“As the atrium is the central access point for the hospital, there will inevitably be some disruption. However, we would like to reassure everybody who uses the QEUH that throughout the period of work we will continue to provide high-quality patient-centred care to our patients. There may be some changes to waiting areas, but all clinics and wards will remain open.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Alasdair Perry, Head of Prevention and Protection for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We regularly work with partners, including NHSGGC, to advise on fire safety matters and were sighted early on the fire risk relating to the panels used as wall lining within the atrium of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

“Our advice was to remove this material as soon as reasonably practicable and replace with wall lining materials that reduce the fire risk.

“We welcome the steps taken to achieve that, and the actions taken demonstrate that NHSGGC 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.”

In 2019 The health board instructed lawyers to begin legal action against the contractor “as a matter of urgency”.

NHS GGC said at the time that several problems have compromised the hospital’s “operational effectiveness” since it opened in 2015, which affected its ability to provide safe healthcare.

It followed of the deaths of two children at the Royal Hospital for Children in 2017 who were treated on a ward that was affected by water contamination.