Members of the public spending watchdog Public Accounts Committee are to ‘interrogate’ the HSE later this week about the failure of the €2billion plus new National Children’s Hospital to meet stringent fire regulations.
It has also emerged that so much defective work has been uncovered at the 380-bed health facility, that the board overseeing the project has had to employ experts to do five times the number of inspections than is usual.
asserted
board → interrogate → inspections
More worryingly still, the yet-to-be-opened ‘world class’ hospital, has yet to secure a final sign-off on a fire safety certificate nine years after it was first issued back in 2017.
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it → open → 2017
These revelations come as HSE officials are due to appear before the PAC on Thursday amid growing speculation that the hospital – plagued with cost overruns and delays – will miss its 20th opening deadline of next month.
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hospital → come → month
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill had cast doubt on the latest deadline being met during an interview with RTÉ’s Prime Time in April, when she noted: ‘We do have a timeline.
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We → cast → timeline
But, you know, is it going to be met?
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it → know → ?
If you’ve experienced something 19 times, do you expect it to be different on the 20th?’
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it → experience → 20th
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill cast doubt on the latest deadline being met during an interview with RTÉ’s Prime Time in April
Originally due to cost €650 million with an opening date of 2022, the costs have multiplied to €2.24 billion.
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costs → cast → billion
But with the full costs yet to be agreed the final figure could be much higher.
uncertain
figure → agree → ?
A senior source admitted last night there is now ‘significant concern’ that a fire cert for the new complex will not be granted in the near future.
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cert → admit → future
The complex cannot open and accept patients until there is a final sign-off on a fire certificate and this has yet to be secured.
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this → open → certificate
Members of the public spending watchdog Public Accounts Committee are to ‘interrogate’ the HSE later this week about the failure of the €2billion plus new National Children’s Hospital to meet stringent fire regulation
The CHI official revealed: ‘There are issues, major issues with the fire cert.
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official → interrogate → cert
In those circumstances, I can’t see us getting a date for entry to the hospital anytime soon.
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us → see → hospital
That’s what we’re being told.’
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we → ’ → what
A second CHI official speaking on condition of anonymity explained: ‘All the talk now is about the fire cert and whether the buildings will get the cert.
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buildings → speak → cert
A lot of work still has to be done.’
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lot → have → work
Another source familiar with the building that has become the world’s most expensive children’s’ health facility added: ‘The talk now is that there are problems with getting a final fire certificate.
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talk → become → certificate
You cannot have a building where there is a fire certificate for one part and then another part of the building that doesn’t have a fire certificate.
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that → have → certificate
They added: ‘A fire safety certificate would have been applied for in 2017 and as work progresses various issues are highlighted and dealt with.
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issues → add → 2017
But you cannot get a final sign off on the fire safety certificate until all problems highlighted are dealt with.’
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problems → get → certificate
The hospital has been plagued by so many problems insiders have told the MoS several demoralised staff have already decided to leave rather than continue working on what was once billed as a ‘world class’ project.
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what → plague → project
A staff member explained: ‘If there was a prize for an organisation who had the most early retirements, this project would get it.
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project → explain → it
There are very few left who were there at the start.
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who → be → start
The hospital is being built by construction firm BAM and when completed it will be run by Children’s’ Health Ireland.
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it → build → Ireland
Meanwhile, the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is overseeing the project.
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Board → oversee → project
And this weekend the NPHDB said there was ‘a range of issues’ not just limited to fire safety, and some work was so sub-standard, five times the number of inspections were needed to ensure the hospital is safe.
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hospital → say → inspections
A spokeswoman explained: ‘The NPHDB has had to significantly increase the size of its site inspection team to provide the necessary level of assurance.
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NPHDB → explain → assurance
The hospital is being built by construction firm BAM and when completed it will be run by Children’s’ Health Ireland
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it → build → Ireland
This has been required because BAM has not implemented its Quality Management Plan effectively.
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BAM → require → Plan
As a result of persistent quality shortcomings, 100 per cent of rooms and other key elements are now being inspected by the NPHDB’s site inspectorate team, compared with the industry-standard approach of sampling approximately 20 per cent.’
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cent → inspect → cent
She continued: ‘Over the past 15 months, the need for BAM to extensively rework initial installations to meet contractual standards has affected progress.
'
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BAM → continue → progress
Examples include all 316 manual sliding doors requiring remediation, 126 of the 244 bathroom pods requiring floor remediation to ensure proper drainage to outlets, and 11 of the 22 operating theatre floors requiring remediation, three of which had to be redone for a third time.
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three → include → time
Approximately 40 per cent of the ventilation system was also found to contain dust because BAM carried out rework in rooms without adequate dust-protection measures.’
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BAM → find → measures
She added: ‘There is a range of issues that need to be remediated; not all are fire-related.
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all → add → issues
Remediation work includes water leaks, fire doors (over 200), bathroom pod floors, theatre floors, ventilation acoustics (more than 200 issues raised), and ductwork cleaning.
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issues → include → 200
These matters are not a fire risk, but rather a compliance matter where BAM has failed to demonstrate compliance and must undertake remedial works to meet the required standards.
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BAM → fail → standards
When asked last night about the amount of defective work on site and whether the most recent opening deadline of October will be met, BAM would only say: ‘The National Children's Hospital is the largest healthcare investment in the State’s history and is in the final stages of commissioning and certification.
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Hospital → ask → commissioning
PAC member Séamus McGrath plans to ‘interrogate’ senior HSE management about work at the new hospital
'
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McGrath → plan → hospital
BAM continues to work closely with the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and Childrens’ Health Ireland to deliver the hospital as quickly and safely as possible for the children of Ireland.’
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BAM → continue → Ireland
PAC member Séamus McGrath vowed to ‘interrogate’ senior HSE management about work at the new hospital that has failed to comply with building and fire regulations when they appear before the Dáil’s public spending committee on Thursday.
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they → vow → Thursday
The Fianna Fáil TD added: ‘There are many quality and compliance issues still unresolved – it appears as if there is some distance to go to have all these matters satisfactorily addressed.
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matters → add → ?
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
