Cladding material at the unfinished £335 million Royal Liverpool Hospital project does not meet current fire safety standards, it has been revealed.

An independent review of the development by engineering firm, Arup, has discovered at least some of the cladding does not meet safety standards, despite assurances from now-defunct contractor Carillion that it did. In addition, the review has also exposed structural deficits regarding the concrete beams.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust stated: "Before they entered into liquidation, the Trust sought assurances from Carillion about this cladding and they told us that: 'There are a number of different cladding systems utilised on the Royal Liverpool University Hospital all of which have been specified and installed to meet the required standards of fire safety….The new hospital has been designed to comply with the requirements of HTM05-02 'Firecode – Fire Safety in the design of healthcare premises'.

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"The recent review has found this not to be the case with some parts of the cladding."

As a result, Union Unite is contacting all safety reps and giving advice on how to ensure they are provided with clear evidence, if they have not already received it, that any cladding at their workplace is safe.

National Health and Safety Adviser, Rob Miguel, said: "It is now clear that company assurances from employers and construction companies about the safety of cladding could be in question.

"Workers who were concerned last year will now be highly alarmed about safety at their workplace. Rather than assurances they need clear evidence that cladding is safe. Until then employers need to introduce additional safety measures."

The revelation about the cladding comes just days after it was revealed that because the Royal Liverpool Hospital will not be completed by 30 September 2018 the trust is entitled to cancel the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) funding scheme, under which the hospital is being built.

With the Government agreeing last month to directly finance the completion of the Midland Metropolitan Hospital in Smethwick west Midlands, which has been stalled since Carillion's collapse, Unite said it believes the Government should directly fund the completion of the Royal Liverpool Hospital and all PFI schemes should be scrapped.

Unite Assistant General Secretary, Gail Cartmail, said: "The government has got to stop ducking the issue and commit to directly funding the Royal Liverpool Hospital project while also ensuring it is completed as quickly as feasible.

"Carillion's demise has fully exposed the problems and weaknesses of the PFI scheme which now needs to be scrapped once and for all. PFI projects are expensive, undemocratic and damage pay, conditions and union rights."

(LM/CM)