New photo The £429million ghost hospital: Shiny new wards lie empty with patients

From their beds, patients at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital have a grandstand view of the sleek new wards being built next door.

But although the building is virtually complete, none of them stand any chance of being treated in it anytime soon.

The collapse of construction giant Carillion, in January, meant work on the £429million project stopped overnight and for the last eight months the new hospital has been mothballed.

Patients at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital will have a long wait for the new wards being built next door, with health bosses admitting the earliest the hospital could open was in 2020

Although some wards are finished and furnished with brand new equipment, the building is lying empty, with staff forced to go inside to turn on lights to deter vandals, and run taps to stop bacteria forming in pipes.

This week health bosses admitted the earliest the hospital could open was in 2020. 

However, it could be another 12 months after this – making the project, which was due to be completed last March, a shocking four years late.

Meanwhile, the old Royal – a grim 1970s carbuncle earmarked for demolition 18 months ago – appears to be falling apart.

Scaffolding is permanently erected around certain blocks to prop up crumbling walls, while inside patients have told the Daily Mail about faulty air conditioning and central heating, dilapidated furniture, paint flaking off walls, and lifts being out of action for weeks on end.

However, it could be another 12 months after this – making the project, which was due to be completed last March, a shocking four years late

Chief executive Aidan Kehoe has admitted all operations were recently cancelled for a day when the ventilation system broke down. 

A power blackout over the summer and flooding have also caused serious problems.

But it is issues with the construction of the new hospital which are putting the entire project in jeopardy. 

Cracks in concrete posts in the new hospital atrium had already been identified by Carillion before it went bust.

And it has since emerged that some of the external cladding, which the hospital had been reassured was safe in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, does not meet fire regulations and will need to be replaced.

The cost of rectifying these issues, coupled with that of completing the new wards, could be as much as £100million.

At the hospital’s AGM this week Mr Kehoe quashed rumours that the problems are so severe the new hospital may have to be pulled down.

But he admitted the two biggest private funders – the European Investment Bank and Legal & General – were ‘considering their position’.

If they pull the plug, the Government may have no option but to step in and force the taxpayer to bail out the build.

Mr Kehoe claimed this would set the project back years as they would have to go back to the drawing board and retender for a suitable contractor.

At the hospital’s AGM this week Mr Kehoe quashed rumours that the problems are so severe the new hospital may have to be pulled down.

But Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson, who has heart problems and has witnessed the poor condition of the old hospital first-hand, said he was sick of the delays and urged the Government to take responsibility.

He said: ‘It’s an obscenity, a brand new building lying empty for all this time.

‘The patients are still in the old Royal and the building is bleak. The staff are doing their best, but they are a Premier League team playing on a Sunday League pitch – it’s unacceptable.’

He added: ‘It’s important the Government, who had Carillion on their preferred developer list and said it was okay to use them, now take responsibility.’

Mr Kehoe insisted the old hospital was safe but admitted the environment was ‘not great’ and was affecting staff morale.

He said: ‘It’s a disgrace. To say I’m frustrated by the situation we’ve been left in by Carillion is an understatement.’

Legal & General said it was committed to working with the Government to ensure the hospital is completed. The EIB was contacted for comment.

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News Pictures The £429million ghost hospital: Shiny new wards lie empty with patients

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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