Sir Robert McAlpine faces 拢530,000 claim by hospital

By Will Hurst2011-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

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Claim is for damaged flooring; while McAlpine鈥檚 insurers subsequently claim against subbie NG Bailey

Sir Robert McAlpine is facing a compensation claim worth more than 拢530,000 over technical problems with its Derriford Hospital extension in Plymouth.

The Terence Lewis building, built between 2004 and 2006, involved the construction of a cardiac unit and theatre wing extension including two main operating theatres on behalf of Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

However, a leak in one of the utility rooms serving one of the theatres caused 鈥渂ubbling鈥� problems across the floors of both theatres - a problem so serious that surgery had to be cancelled while repairs were carried out.

Plymouth NHS Trust is negotiating its claim against the contractor out of court.

This emerged after Sir Robert McAlpine鈥檚 insurers launched a 拢100,000 High Court claim against the insurers of mechanical and electrical subcontractor NG Bailey, which it claims installed a damaged water pipe in the utility room that caused the leak.

In court documents seen by 好色先生TV, McAlpine claimed that NG Bailey installed the leaking pipe in an 鈥渋naccessible void in the wall鈥�.

鈥淢cAlpine will say that the pipe had been installed by Bailey with a cut made by a pipe cutter that had penetrated most but not all of the wall thickness,鈥� the document stated.

鈥淎lthough initially the pipe was watertight, progressive growth of the cut took place by a mechanism known as 鈥榗reep rupture鈥�.鈥�

Repairs cost almost 拢70,000 and the hospital claimed it has lost 拢530,000 worth of income due to the closure of the two theatres.

A spokesperson for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 鈥淲e have made a claim against Sir Robert McAlpine. [It] relates to patient activity we were unable to carry out as a result of the problem with the cardiac theatre flooring. We are still in negotiation and have not had to resort to legal action. We are unable to say anything further at the moment.鈥�

A spokesperson for Sir Robert McAlpine said: 鈥淲e are not in dispute with the hospital or NG Bailey directly. This is purely a matter of insurance claims between respective insurance companies.鈥� NG Bailey declined to comment.