Building boom further delays new mental health facility

Tuesday 12 October 2021

Labour shortages and project add-ons have further delayed the opening of the new mental health centre at Clinque Pinel.

The £7.3m development – which will replace Orchard House and provide 26 new en-suite bedrooms and other facilities – was originally due to be completed at the end of January.

This had been pushed back by five weeks to the first week of March 2022 because of bad weather delaying construction. 

Then in May, the Government announced that the completion date had been delayed to 20 April 2022.

But it has now been put back again – with a new completion date of 9 September next year.

Responding to a written question by Senator Steve Pallett, Health Minister Richard Renouf gave reasons for the delay.

“Additional works have been required to remedy a number of ‘legacy issues’ relating to the existing building/structure and additional/essential ‘upgrade works’ to address safeguarding issues that were identified once the building was vacated,” he said.

Pictured: The current building boom is being blamed for delaying the construction of Clinque Pinel again.

“The contractor has also cited the current ‘spike’ in construction work and construction costs as a principal reason for not being able to secure sufficient labour.

Revisions have been made to the original phasing schedule in an attempt to help the contractor by providing more work opportunities. However, the contractor is now reporting that with the difficulties it is experiencing in securing labour, it is unable to benefit from these changes.

“Jersey Property Holdings have met the contractor’s management team over the last three weeks to review why we have not seen the progress we would expect at this point in the contract, and to review options on how we can assist and progress matters.”

Deputy Renouf added that the latest progress update, issued at the beginning of October showed that most of the ground floor of Clinique Pinel would be handed over by 7 March 2022, which would provide 20 of the 26 anti-ligature en-suite bedrooms, including a ‘place of safety’ suite for patients.

Pictured: The new hospital plans include a separate mental health unit to the north-east of the Westmount campus.

He confirmed that late-completion penalties were included in the construction contract “if the contractor cannot demonstrate why the agreed contract completions dates have not been achieved”.

The significant upgrade to Jersey’s mental health facilities was announced in June 2019 following the publication of a damning Scrutiny report that exposed flaws in the island’s provision. Work eventually started last September.

It is envisaged that all mental health services will move to Overdale when the new hospital ‘campus’, which includes a separate mental health centre, opens in 2026.

However, the field that the facility is due to be built on is still yet to be purchased by Government.