Midland Met super hospital could be hit by yet more delays amid coronavirus crisis
A super hospital which is already set to open four years late could be hit by further delays because of the coronavirus pandemic, bosses have warned.
Toby Lewis, chief executive of Sandwell's NHS trust, said if there were more delays on the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital he expected it to be "weeks or months rather than years".
The hospital, which is around two-thirds built at Grove Lane, Smethwick, is due to open in summer 2022 and work has restarted following the collapse of original contractor Carillion.
Mr Lewis, boss of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, told the Express & Star at the height of the Covid-19 crisis in April that he was confident there would be no further delays to the Midland Met, but there are now concerns over how the supply chain will be impacted.
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A new report on the hospital, which will cost more than £1 billion to build and run, said: "TL (Toby Lewis) reported that it was too early to say if there would be any significant delay in opening and guessed that it would be weeks/months rather than years. Supply chains were a risk."
The building of the Midland Met, which will be one of the leading healthcare facilities in the country, has been hit by a series of setbacks, with the pandemic now threatening to become the latest.
Work resumed at the start of the year, just as the coronavirus outbreak was beginning, after Balfour Beatty was brought on board to complete the job.
Around 175 people are currently working on the hospital, with the number expected to increase to up to 900 by the end of the year as work ramps up.
Midland Met will replace Sandwell General and Birmingham City hospitals to become the main hospital serving Sandwell and west Birmingham.
