Cornwall renovation rework caused missed deadlines, says Tufton

HEALTH MINISTER Dr Christopher Tufton says rescoping works are to blame for the several missed deadlines to wind up construction in reconfiguring the Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James.

The 400-bed hospital was partially taken offline in 2018 because of complaints about noxious fumes, which displaced several services at the Type A facility.

“I am prepared to say that part of the challenge with Cornwall is the rescoping of the work because you start off by thinking of fixing one thing, then because of the nature of the project, every time you start to prepare, you end up having to repair something else,” said Tufton in response to queries from Opposition Spokesman Dr Morais Guy.

Tufton told his parliamentary colleagues at yesterday’s sitting of the Standing Finance Committee that he was willing to take responsibility for the messaging about the extensions.

“I am not saying some things could not have been done quicker, and there’s a lot we have learned from the project, and we have adjusted the timelines based on what the project-management team had said to us based on the adjustment required in gutting the building, taking out all the electrics, taking out all the plumbing, putting on a new roof, redesigning the floors. You’re pretty much building a new hospital,” he said.

The extended timelines, Tufton noted, would run into 2021.

Guy said that it appeared that the situation lacked urgency and that it could cause the public to lose faith in the ministry’s ability to effectively oversee the job through to completion.

“Maybe not a fault of yours, but the point I am making is that the urgency is not there, and it reflects badly on you, Minister, because you have come out to say to John and Jill Public that you would get it completed by a particular time,” Guy said.

Tufton said that he would be checking if an adjustment would more accurately reflect the completion date and the effect on the cost of the project.

The spend for works on the hospital indicates that some $1.7 billion will be rolled out this year, $2.28 billion next year, and $1.14 billion the following year.

Phase Two of the project, including the gutting of the building, began in September 2019 and was to be finished by December 2019.