It has applied to Planning to replace and update the existing ventilation plant on the roof of the Gwyneth Huelin Wing of the General Hospital.
The ventilation for the wing remains largely unaltered since its installation in the early 1990s and significant internal alterations since that time means the way it was designed to work is now obsolete.
A report accompanying the application says: “The existing plant on the roof of the Gwyneth Huelin Wing is now beyond economic repair and is not compliant with [industry standard] HTM03-01 Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises.
“Delays in providing a new Island hospital have highlighted the need to replace the existing plant with new plant that complies with HTM03-01.”
Pictured: The Gwyneth Huelin Wing, which can be accessed via Newgate Street, was built in the 1970s and its air system was installed in the early 1990s.
The general extract air handling unit and extractor fans will be moved externally, the “ancillary supply air handling unit” will no longer be needed and the space it leaves will be used to pre-assemble a new “day-surgery heat recovery air handling unit” in order to reduce the theatre shutdown period to two weeks.
The installation – which is deemed “critical in ensuring the effective operation of the clinical spaces within the building” – will be done in phases to ensure the maximum number of theatres remain in use throughout the proposed work.
The expected cost of the upgrade Is not yet known as the work is out to tender.
Express recently reported that decades of under-investment and neglect meant that every single building making up the current General Hospital was in breach of statutory requirements and national guidance for health facilities.