Mistakes cannot be repeated at new hospital, says Dodds

A member of Stormont's health committee says the delays and problems which have plagued Belfast's maternity hospital cannot be repeated with a new children's hospital being built on the same site.

There must be "accountability and scrutiny from the health minister and from Belfast Health Trust management on every aspect of the new build", DUP MLA Diane Dodds told BBC News NI.

The Department of Health (DoH) said the minister has tasked officials to identify key lessons from the new Maternity Hospital project.

The department added it ensured those lessons were applied ahead of the contract signing for the new children's hospital.

Meanwhile, further questions have been raised over the awarding of the multi-million pound contract for the children's hospital to construction firm BAM Ireland, which has been heavily criticised for its work on a similar project in Dublin.

The facility has been described by some politicians in the Republic as the "most expensive children's hospital in the world".

BAM Ireland has a building partnership with County Down contractor Graham Construction, trading under the name Graham BAM Healthcare Partnership (GBHP).

It built the new maternity hospital at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH), which is almost 10 years behind schedule and substantially over budget.

Members of Stormont's health committee said the public should not be picking up the bill for the delays in constructing numerous hospital projects across the Belfast Trust.

Building projects, especially hospitals, rarely come in on time or within budget.

The new maternity hospital at the RVH has been plagued by delays, including serious building works problems, with dangerous bacteria found in the water systems, and among the many headlines over several years are the astronomical costs of fixing all this, which is tax payer's money.

In a statement, the DoH said that the Belfast Trust has appointed a new director of strategic development who is a "senior responsible owner" for the children's hospital development.

The department said that much of the director's workload will be focused on the project.

The department said it will have active oversight of the hospital build and will liaise closely with the trust and contractor throughout the construction period.

On Wednesday, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "I tasked departmental officials to identify the key lessons from the new Maternity Hospital project and ensure that they were applied ahead of the contract signing for the new Children's Hospital.

"It is essential that a range of improvements are secured to the management of this project."

The BBC has contacted Graham BAM Healthcare Partnership for a response.

The DoH said the tender process was in line with procurement policy, which included due diligence to verify the contractor's capacity to deliver the project.

Last September, the BBC revealed that the pseudomonas bacteria was again found at the new Maternity Hospital just weeks after it was handed over to the Belfast trust from the contractor in March 2024.

At the time, Graham BAM Healthcare Partnership said this had been "in agreement with the Belfast Trust and in accordance with contract specifications".