Faulty boiler delays opening of £47m hospital unit

Scarborough Hospital's new urgent and emergency care centre will open next year

The opening of a hospital's new £47m urgent and emergency care centre has been delayed due to a faulty boiler.

The state-of-the-art facility at Scarborough Hospital, in Woodlands Drive, had been due to open last month but will not be fully operational until "early spring".

A trust spokesperson said the delay had been caused by one of the four boilers malfunctioning during testing, meaning it would have to be replaced before the building can be handed over from contractors.

They said a new boiler has been commissioned but it would "take some time to both manufacture and install" saying it was not possible to put a timescale on the work.

"We recognise that it's disappointing as everyone is keen to get into the new space as soon as possible, but it's important that we don't move until we're ready as it's a complex process to transfer these services from the old areas into the new," the trust said.

The UECC, which represents the largest capital investment by the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is set to almost double the existing space at Scarborough Hospital on Woodlands Drive.

In addition to a new CT scanner and two new X-ray machines, it has a secure room for highly infectious diseases while the whole building can be securely divided into two sections in the case of a wider outbreak, such as Covid-19.

More than £800,000 has been raised by the York and Scarborough Hospitals charity to fund projects at the centre, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

This will enhance the patient experience, including creating four outdoor terraces and providing accommodation suites for relatives.

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