The previous Health & Social Care Committee repeatedly claimed that the project would be completed in 2024 or 2025, but it remains unfinished, with months of work still ahead.
HSC president George Oswald has now revealed fears that the States may face additional costs to get the unit opened, despite the previous committee’s assurances that the budget of £34m. would not be exceeded.
Deputy Oswald admitted there ‘may be’ further costs to taxpayers, although he still ‘hoped not’ once negotiations with contractor Rihoy & Son were concluded.
‘There will be a balancing exercise at the end, but clearly that is subject to contractual negotiation, and it is commercially sensitive. I can’t give you any further details on that because I don’t know,’ he said.
Listen to the full interview with Deputy George Oswald on the latest Guernsey Press Politics Podcast
As long ago as August last year, it was claimed that the project was close to completion, and apparently minor issues such as testing and cleaning were cited as reasons for what was meant to be a short delay.
Relations became strained between the States and the contractor when more extensive problems were uncovered with the building long after it was meant to have opened, with between eight and 12 beds for patients in critical care and 10 beds for patients recovering from anaesthesia.
Deputy Oswald said the building defects were ‘significant’ but he was ‘not allowed’ to provide more details about them and could not comment on whether the failings were in the way the project was set up or during the construction period.
‘The defects were difficult to identify and isolate, and to remedy, which is in process at the moment,’ he said.
‘Following a long period of negotiation with the contractors, I’m pleased to say they are on site. They have taken over the governance of the project so they can work on it unhindered and work has commenced and I’m told it is proceeding apace.
‘We still can’t give you a definite finish date. All of us who have dealt with building projects know that if you give a finishing date whatever you say is probably going to be wrong, but we would be very disappointed indeed if it does not open in 2026.’
The project is the first in a multi-phase redevelopment of the PEH.
The next phase has already been beset by soaring budget estimates, and at one stage States officials kept the previous HSC committee in the dark for nearly a year before admitting that projected costs had risen by £30m. to £150m.
The next phase has now been split into phases 2a and 2b which will be carried out at different times.
Deputy Oswald said the estimate for phase 2a was now about £129m. but it was too soon to know the combined cost of 2a and 2b.
He said HSC would put detailed proposals for phase 2a in front of the States ‘sometime in 2026’ and believed that was most likely to be ‘in the autumn’.