New Royal Liverpool will be the best hospital in the country, vows top doctor

Hospital chiefs defended PFI plans for project at public meeting

The Royal Liverpool Hospital’s top doctor says its new building will make it the best in the country.

The rebuilt Royal, part of a massive health park set to transform a key gateway in to the city, is due to be finished by 2017.

At a public event held at FACT in Liverpool city centre yesterday Royal chief executive Aidan Kehoe defended plans to part-fund the project through Private Finance Initiative (PFI) cash.

He said the £211m deal with contractors Carillion represented the best option to get the project off the ground.

New artists’ impressions of the inside of the hospital were also revealed showing the single rooms which doctors say will be a key part of improving the experience of patients spending time there.

Medical director Dr Peter Williams said: “This will be the finest healthcare facility in the country and the largest hospital with 100% single rooms.”

The meeting was told there were hopes funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) could lead to a significant reduction in the PFI element of the project.

A decision on the EIB cash is expected in the autumn.

Royal rebuild project director Helen Jackson said approval in principle for the funding had been received in December.

She said: “The fact we have got approval in principle is pretty strong evidence in our favour.”

If the EIB provides cash nearly 75% of the total £429m cost of the project will be met from non-private sources.

Executives discussed plans for the rebuild to employ up to 1,000 people at peak construction times with at least 60% of employees coming from the local area.

There are also set to be between 75 and 100 new apprenticeships created on the site for young people to gain skills and experience.

Ms Jackson said Carillion had been chosen for its track record in providing opportunities for local workers and its work on previous projects in the city.

She said the new site, which incorporates the School of Tropical Medicine and a new base for the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, would have a green space the size of Chavasse Park at its heart.

The event was told the use of single rooms rather than traditional wards could help cut infections and improve privacy for patients.

BUT OPPOSITION TO THE PLANS REMAINS

MEMBERS of Keep our NHS Public and union representatives were at the meeting to quiz officials over PFI and Carillion's working practices.

UNISON member John Williams said: “It is not that we do not want it built, but how it is built and financed.”

Leaflets were handed to members of the public attending the meeting setting out the concerns of Keep our NHS Public.

They include the rate of interest due back on the money in the long term and links between a former Carillion subsidiary and the now-banned practice of blacklisting workers.

Project director Helen Jackson said the Royal was satisfied Carillion no longer had any links to blacklisting.

A similar event will be held at FACT on June 3 at 6.30pm.