Great Ormond Street Hospital

HC Deb 15 November 1982 vol 32 cc63-4W

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services who were the architects, civil engineers, consulting engineers and builders, respectively, of the cardiac block at Great Ormond Street hospital for sick children; and what organisation was supervising their work on behalf of the hospital.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The names of the firms employed by the board of governors of the Hospital for Sick Children for the design, construction and supervision of the cardiac block were as followsArchitects: Cusdin Burden & Howitt Structural engineers: R. T. James & Partners Mechanical and electrical engineers: Zisman & Bowyer Quantity Surveyors: Harris & Porter Main contractor: McLaughlin & Harvey Ltd. Project managers (from December 1977): Beard Dove Project Management Partnership

Their duties and responsibilities were in accordance with normal practice in the construction industry. Each consultant took professional responsibility for the detailed design, inspection and performance of the work entrusted to him and the architect had additional responsibility for the direction and integration of their work and his own. The architect was also required periodically to visit the site to inspect the progress and quality of the work and to determine in general if the main contractor and his sub-contractors were proceeding in accordance with the contract documents. Constant inspection was to be provided by a clerk of works under the architect's direction and control.

Additionally, the structural engineers appointed a resident site engineer for the supervision of the structural engineering work carried out by the main contractor and his sub-contractors for a short period during the cardiac block contract.

A project manager was appointed by the board of governors at the hospital. He was not responsible for the construction work on site or for the work of the consultants. He monitored the cost and progress of the work during the construction period and organised the equipping of commissioning of the building which would, but for structural defects, have converted the completed building into a fully staffed and operational building.

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds were to have been provided in the cardiac block at Great Ormond Street hospital for sick children; and how many patients' bed days have been lost to date by the block remaining unoccupied because it is unsafe.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The cardiac block at Great Ormond Street hospital contains provision for 56 beds. It is estimated that 28,881 patients' bed days have been lost to date.

Mr. Dobson

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds, expressed in terms of bed days, have been empty in Great Ormond Street hospital for sick children in each financial year since March 1979 because of (a) shortage of funds, (b) shortage of nurses resulting from EEC regulations and (c) any other reasons.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I regret that information is not available in the form requested, which tries to assume a simplified and misleading analysis of the cause of empty beds.