Work on Berwick's new hospital is not expected to restart in earnest until the new year, NHS bosses have said. The £35 million scheme has been stalled ever since original contractors Merit Construction went into administration in late 2025.
Replacement contractor appointed
Gateshead-based company Robertson Construction was brought in to replace Merit in January, and began by completing "survey work" in order to "enable the development of a construction programme". However, an open letter to stakeholders from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said that workers were "still working through exactly what needs to be done to progress the project".
Some work is expected to be carried out before Christmas. However, the trust say the "bulk of the work" will be done next year. There had been hopes as late as 2023 that the hospital would open in the middle of this year.
Trust acknowledges delays
The letter from the trust read: "We appreciate your continued patience and support as we work with our new contractor, Robertson Construction, to identify what needs to be done to help develop the next phase in our programme of work. Over the past few months Robertson has done a number of in-depth surveys and now have a clearer understanding of what the next steps need to be.
"We are still working through exactly what needs to be done to progress the project, and this is taking a bit longer than any of us would like. This is not ideal, or a position any of us wanted to be in, but it is important that our hospital is the best it can be for our patients and staff.
"Ensuring we can provide excellent care in a safe, high quality and welcoming hospital building is at the core of all our considerations and current activity. We are working closely with the Robertson team and other agencies involved to ensure that things are progressed as quickly as they can be.
"We understand that people are concerned and frustrated about the delay and we are too. The plan is to carry out some work before the Christmas period and the bulk of the work in the new year.
"Once again, we want to reiterate that we really do know the importance of our new hospital to patients, our staff and local communities. We have gained a huge amount of confidence working with the Robertson team over the last few months.
"The trust continues to explore what additional patient services can be provided from the new community hospital and we continue to look at how some of the new services could be offered before the new facility is opened."
Calls for urgent update
The letter has prompted calls from councillors for an urgent update on the situation. Georgina Hill, Northumberland County Councillor for Berwick East and Chair of the NCC Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) has called on officials to attend the committee's next meeting on September 1.
She said: "Myself and my colleague, Isabel Hunter have requested an urgent update on the new hospital at our next Health and Wellbeing OSC meeting. The latest communication from the Trust provides little comfort or meaningful assurance.
"We need clarity on what is causing the delays and realistic timescales. There needs to be an opportunity to further scrutinise the due diligence around the appointment of the original contractor.
"Other questions include around the contingency plans for local healthcare provision and an explanation on the current projected overall project costs which must be significantly higher now."
