Delays alert for Yorkshire hospitals work

The new Pinderfields Hospital at Wakefield was due to fully open at the beginning of January but delays mean it is unlikely to be operational until mid-March.

The problems are having a knock-on impact on Pontefract Hospital which is being revamped in an interlinked project which will see specialist and inpatient care for the most seriously ill transferred to Pinderfields.

But it is also proving a financial headache for the Mid Yorkshire NHS trust, which was relying on savings from the opening of the hospitals to hit financial targets.

The delays have raised significant fears it could plunge into the red.

The project is part of a 300m private finance initiative (PFI) project run by Consort Healthcare.

Trust chief executive Julia Squire said staff were waiting formal handover of the site. "There will be a short delay and we anticipate the final services moving into our new hospitals from mid-February to mid-March," she said.

"We are currently working to understand the financial impact to the trust. However there will be some financial consequences of the delay for example due to savings that we expect to make because the new hospitals enable us to provide more efficient and effective services at a reduced cost."

Until the handover is complete, the trust will not incur payments for using the site under the PFI deal. Last night it refused to say if it was invoking penalties for the delays.

Some patients are already using the new Pinderfields site mainly for outpatient appointments.