Work expected to start next month
The NHS trust managing the Birmingham hospital job left stranded by Carillion鈥檚 collapse is having to carry out tests to make sure the cladding fitted on the job is up to scratch.
Papers published ahead of yesterday鈥檚 board meeting of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust said the work was being done to make sure the three types of cladding installed met building regulations.
The trust admitted the first type of cladding would 鈥渄efinitely fail鈥� safety tests, the second 鈥減robably fail鈥� while the third would 鈥減ossibly pass鈥�.
Testing will begin next month although the papers said trust chief executive Toby Lewis said 鈥渢he timeframe should ideally be brought forward鈥�.
But despite warnings about the fitness of the cladding made in the board papers, a trust spokesperson said it remained confident all cladding would meet fire safety standards.
She said: 鈥淲hile specialist feedback and the outcome of similar tests suggest that all treatments will pass, the trust has considered it prudent to include options (and the associated budget) within the ongoing procurement that can be quickly instructed in the unlikely event any test fails.鈥�
Issues with cladding have also emerged at the Liverpool hospital Carillion was building before it collapsed 鈥� with a review by Arup last September finding cladding at the Royal Liverpool hospital was not compliant with building regulations.
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