Debate contribution: Maternity and Children’s Hospital: Delays

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Robinson on 26 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Alan Robinson

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

26 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Maternity and Children’s Hospital: Delays

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4677647

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I give you notice, Mr Speaker, that I intend to do so. I thank everyone who contributed to today's debate. There was a good range of views across the Chamber, and I particularly thank the members of the Health Committee. We have many differences, but there is a lot that unites us, and the passion that was on display in the debate shows that this is an important matter for all of us. Before I wind up on Members' contributions, and before anyone jumps to their feet in rage, these are the facts: our health service remains stagnant, leaving hundreds of thousands of our constituents stranded on waiting lists, with some facing years of waiting to receive care that is essential to their life. We can boast about many things in our Province, but holding the record for the longest waiting lists in the UK and, possibly, Western Europe is not a bragging point, nor is the fact that over a quarter of our population is on a waiting list anything to trumpet.

Even in the context of the history of the institutions, it is troubling that, in a system of government in which the Department of Health commands over half of day-to-day public spending and receives the lion's share in spending rounds, we have seen so little change in waiting lists and accessibility of care. I do not say that to attack the Minister. That is not what I am about, and I do not believe that anybody in my party is about that, but my party is on record as saying that we want to see more elective care sites, mega-clinics and seven-days-a-week theatres working beyond the 5.00 pm shutdowns. We also want to see partnership arrangements with large healthcare providers to add to the firepower of our skilled staff. We support waiting lists being organised on a Province-wide basis to allow equal access for people rather than the postcode lotteries that we have seen thus far in some trusts. Our motion refers to the lack of detail and decisive action in the recent draft framework for hospital reconfiguration. Some have said that it is a list of abstract ideas rather than a plan for improvement. I will use the motion to say something to the Minister on behalf of the people whom I represent, who are deeply concerned about the future of Causeway Hospital. They want to see the fine detail beyond the words of a vision for Causeway Hospital and so-called landmark publications; they want to see concrete plans for Causeway Hospital beyond a new MRI scanner; and they want to see services come back north of the A26, rather than the one-way traffic that has been southbound thus far. Causeway Hospital stands ready to lend its weight to the overall fight to improve our health service. The flagship maternity and children's hospital project, which will replace some buildings that were built in the 1930s, was, when it was first envisaged, supposed to be a beacon of hope and a symbol of progress in providing a 21st-century maternity service, yet, today, it has become a symbol of staggering cost overrun. The hospital was meant to improve childbirth, with single-room accommodation for babies and parents. However, it has faced scandalous delays, with the timeline of the children's hospital component now pushed back to 2030 — a full 10 years behind schedule. Regardless of what has gone on in the past, that is simply unacceptable. I thank my colleague Diane Dodds for shining a bright light on the topic and asking uncomfortable questions, both in written form and on the Floor. We were told that the primary driver of the delay is the contamination of the water system at the Royal Victoria site, which campaigners say should have been identified and addressed long ago. We were told that contamination of the water supply was found during construction and required pipe replacement and chemical treatment. However, after a four-week water-sampling exercise, pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA) was found, yet again, on a large number of occasions. While we can focus on the PsA, we can also look to the cost overruns that were the result of contaminated waste, redesigns of floor space and tender collapses. Belfast Trust representatives told us that they have begun an independent review of the water system, which is being undertaken by two leading industry experts. We were also told that the trust is risk assessing the options available to fix the water system, but that the works thereafter could significantly impact on the timescales for occupying the building. The Belfast Trust, when it returns to the Health Committee, needs to tells us whether the existing buildings continue to be safe. We need to know what the latest figures are, who will foot the bill, who is responsible for PsA getting into the water system, when we will see the results of the independent review and when the maternity building will open. Public money needs public transparency. According to the NI Audit Office report in February 2024, the maternity building, including the top three floors of the critical care centre, was estimated to cost £57·2 million. The latest estimate given to the Health Committee was over £97 million. Given that this is public money, we need to know the latest estimate. The same can be said for the regional children's hospital, which was originally planned to open in July 2020 at a cost of £223 million. It is now expected to be completed in 2030 at a cost of £590 million. I am happy to give way to the Minister. He alluded earlier in the debate to a shocking announcement — he took us all by surprise — that he will make at some point. I give him the opportunity to do that now.

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank the Minister for his update to the House. We will certainly explore that further. I will conclude with reference to some of the comments made today. Diane Dodds asked for an update on the risk assessment prior to handover. She quite rightly referred to oversight in the Department and asked for officials to return to the Committee. I am sure that all of us on the Health Committee support that call. Liz Kimmins said that the hospital is a lifeline for children. That certainly is true. It is an investment not just in facilities but in people. Nuala McAllister referred to the lack of progress on a number of capital projects, and she is right. The NI Audit Office report that was provided to us detailed the huge cost overruns and the money that has been lost therein. Doug Beattie referred to the huge challenge in health and the eye-watering sums involved, but he spent a lot of time looking back at DUP former Ministers and called the motion "self-serving". Colin McGrath asked whether there are any other problems in the building. He called on the Minister to detail all the issues involved and how much it will cost to fix them. Órlaithí Flynn agreed that we need to bring the officials back to discuss the matter further at the Health Committee. She talked about emotional care and the mental health benefits that will come from having the hospital when the doors open. That is certainly true. Phillip Brett, eloquent as he is, rightly gave support to the Minister and clarified the fact that the motion is not an attack on him or his party. He said that 140 nurses could have been employed over the past 10 years and highlighted the need for the Belfast Trust's officials to provide answers. Danny Donnelly shared his concern at how little detail there was in the framework document on hospitals. He urgently called on the Belfast Trust to resolve the issue and said that he wants the Health Committee to re-examine it. Alan Chambers said that the motion was not helpful and was designed to point-score. That is not the case. The health service is too important to engage in that game, and I have never played it. Gerry Carroll referred to the crumbling health service and talked of the importance of the workforce and the pressure that it is under. That is absolutely true. The Minister called the motion "offensive" and referred again to the "irony klaxon" that often rings over departmental headquarters. He talked about the funding gaps that date back to 2011, and I welcome that he told the House of the uncomfortable conversations that he has had on this and other important topics. He was combative today; I applaud him for that and hope that he will be as combative with his officials on this topic. I join my party colleagues and some Members across the Floor in calling for the Minister to commission a full and independent inquiry into the handling of the maternity and children's hospital project. Diane Dodds and I commend the motion to the House.

1,496 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:36 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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