Carillion crisis: 'Weeks or longer' before work may restart on Midland Met hospital

Sandwell's health chief has warned it may be "weeks or even longer" before work starts again on the £350 million Midland Metropolitan hospital in the wake of the Carillion collapse.

Work ground to a halt at the site a week ago after the Wolverhampton construction firm building the hospital went into liquidation.

But Toby Lewis, chief executive of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We're working around the clock to get this Midland Metropolitan site back up and working."

Watch Mr Lewis discuss the latest on the hospital site

The hospital is currently only two thirds complete but: "We have been very clear, local partners have been very clear, Ministers have been very clear that there is only one strategy, which is to get this hospital build in as rapid a time as we can."

The work was being carried out by a Carillion joint venture set up specially for the contract, called The Hospital Company.

Mr Lewis said: "The coalition of organisations that form the Hospital Company have a responsibility working to us to find a new builder and a new contractor who can finish the job.

"We are two thirds of the way through so plainly we have a third left to do.

"We will experience some weeks or even longer when the cranes behind me are not active.

"But what is really important over the next few days and weeks is that we get the senior leadership team who were working on the project to continue to work on the project, making sure that we have got a safe site, a secure site and detailed plans for how to finish this development."

Work has come to a halt at the Midland Metropolitan Hospital site, and it could be weeks or longer before it starts up again

Mr Lewis added: "This development isn't about having fantastic buildings or a great environment, although of course it does do that. It is about bringing together hospital services which are currently stretched over two locations in one of the most deprived parts of the country.

"And by bringing those overstretched emergency departments from West Brom and Birmingham together we are going to be able to offer a better seven day service, putting teams together on a multi-professional basis and offering 21st century medicine, whereas currently we are doing our very best in 19th century buildings.

"It is very disappointing and frustrating where we are for everyone, particularly those individuals directly affected, but we're working around the clock to get this Midland Metropolitan site back up and working and we welcome the commitment of partners and politicans to work with us to secure the future of the NHS in this part of the West Midlands."