Remedial work will begin next week to strip the partially built £35m Berwick community hospital back to its main structural steel frame, after construction was halted following the collapse of the original contractor.
Robertson Construction North East was appointed as replacement contractor in January after Merit entered administration, bringing work on the new hospital to a halt last November. Since its appointment, Robertson has been assessing the work completed to date, with client Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust now confirming the extent of the remedial work required.
The trust said: “From Monday 19 October we will begin remedial work which will involve removing mechanical and electrical systems/pipework and internal walls and fittings.
“From late November we will start work to remove the façade and steel frame system, which will need to be replaced. We would like to clarify that the main structural steel work will remain. It is hoped that the work mentioned above will be done by spring next year.”
The programme will involve removing mechanical and electrical installations, pipework, internal walls and fittings before the external façade and associated steel frame system are replaced. The main structural steelwork will be retained, while the remedial phase is expected to continue into spring 2027.
Merit was originally awarded the contract in 2023 to construct the hospital using more than 600 pre-assembled modules. Its collapse left the project incomplete, prompting the trust to appoint Robertson to take forward the scheme and establish the work needed to bring the building to completion.
