SEWAGE leaks in the maternity ward, viruses ‘hiding in every crack’ and a building not suitable to deal with another ‘inevitable’ pandemic are some of the extreme challenges facing hospital staff, a hospital doctor has said.
In an impassioned speech during the planning inquiry into proposals for the Our Hospital project at Overdale, gastroenterologist David Ng begged for the plans to be given the go ahead to ensure patients are not being put in unnecessary danger.
Dr Ng said that another rejected planning application would lead to further years of ‘government wrangling’ and would cost patients their lives.
‘The hard-working domestics and engineers are working harder and harder to keep patients and staff safe from superbugs and viruses that hide in every crack. These cracks appear every day and are getting bigger. The prognosis for the hospital building is poor. The building is dying,’ he said.
He described an ongoing £8m project to upgrade the maternity suite as a patch-up’ and revealed that there is ‘sewage leaking around the ward’.
‘New-born babies and mothers are having to wear ear defenders. Patients in the wards above the hammering and drilling are not being allowed to die peacefully. Doctors on the floor above are having to raise their voices to break bad news to patients and their relatives behind curtains in six-bed bays and windows cannot be opened because of dust and spores spurred up by the work,’ Dr Ng said.
Independent planning inspector Philip Staddon has been sitting throughout this week to hear submissions from Islanders, clinical staff and representatives from the Our Hospital team on the controversial building proposals. In the weeks following the inquiry, Mr Staddon will make a recommendation as to whether the Overdale plan should be given approval. However, the ultimate decision will rest with Environment Minister John Young, who three years ago rejected an application to build a new hospital on the current Gloucester Street site.
A significant number of nearby residents have fought against the Overdale scheme, citing the impact on the St Helier skyline, the traffic measures needed to accommodate a new hospital and environmental concerns among a host of reasons that the application should be turned down.
Dr Ng said that the need for a new health facility should outweigh the concerns that have been put forward.
‘During Covid people suffered and died as a consequence of the hospital’s ward structure. Covid patients could not be effectively isolated and [were] cross-infected other patients.
‘The hospital is not ready for the next pandemic and the World Health Organisation predicts that this is inevitable.’
He added that he did not believe that ‘legalities, aesthetics, design, height or size’ should be factored into the decision. Instead, he argued that the clinical need be the driving factor as to whether to approve the application.
Discussing the concerns that the Overdale build would be a blot on the Island’s skyline, Dr Ng referred to the planning approval given to the Radisson Hotel – which in 2008 was named the Carbuncle Cup winner for the UK’s ugliest building design.
He also referred to a recent States Assembly decision, as part of the Bridging Island Plan debate, to allow buildings of more than eight storeys in St Helier in exceptional circumstances.
‘I submit that our hospital is a very special circumstance,’ he said, adding that ‘building our hospital without delay will save lives’.
Addressing Mr Staddon directly, Dr Ng said: ‘You correctly decided [to recommend the previous application be rejected] four years ago after objections raised by the care staff of the hospital, I hope you will consider us again when we say we need a new hospital now.’
He added: ‘I ask you to pass, no I beg you, to pass the Island’s hospital plan without further delay.’
