Wall panels and insulation at two newly constructed hospital facilities in Aberdeen have been removed due to mould contamination prior to admitting any patients.
Infection control teams raised concerns at the Baird Family Hospital and the Anchor Project cancer unit after construction materials were exposed to moisture, BBC Scotland News has learned.
Experts cautioned that dormant mould spores could become active once the over-budget and delayed facilities open, potentially posing a health risk throughout the buildings' lifespan.
NHS Grampian confirmed that all affected materials have been extracted and expressed confidence that patient safety will not be compromised.
The new maternity hospital and cancer treatment centre were initially scheduled to open in 2020; however, construction began only in 2021, with costs escalating from £134 million to over £438 million.
The Anchor Centre is planned to open in July, while the Baird Family Hospital is expected to start receiving patients in June of the following year.
Mould issues were first identified by infection control teams more than three years ago when plasterboard panels were installed or stored before the buildings were fully sealed against water ingress.
Inspections revealed some panels were already mouldy, and there was concern that any wet materials could harbor fungal spores, according to internal documents reviewed by .
Testing identified the predominant species as Penicillium chrysogenum, known for its use in producing the antibiotic penicillin but capable of causing allergic reactions or infections in immunocompromised individuals.
Particular concern was raised regarding potential health impacts on cancer patients, newborns in the maternity hospital's neonatal unit, and in operating theatres.
Infection control experts recommended identifying and replacing any materials previously exposed to moisture before the facilities commence patient treatment.
Will the new facilities be approved to open?
Alan Wilson, NHS Grampian's director of infrastructure, issued an apology for the delayed opening of the two health facilities.
He acknowledged water ingress occurred at various construction stages but stated that a working group was established to address these issues and advice was sought from independent expert Professor Malcolm Richards.
"All the work that was agreed has been carried out, and there's no further work to be done,"
Wilson expressed confidence that the infection control team would agree the new facilities are safe to open once all measures are in place.
He added that the buildings must also receive approval from NHS Assure, a national organization tasked with enhancing healthcare facility safety.
The mould issue is among several infection risk concerns identified during the construction of the new Aberdeen hospital buildings. Other issues include:
Wilson noted that modifications have been or will be made to the cold water system to facilitate timely opening.
He also reported extensive remedial work on the ventilation system, which has now been approved by the ventilation safety group.
Whistleblowing investigation
Similar problems with mould, water systems, and ventilation have previously affected Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus.
The health board is currently planning to rebuild an adult bone marrow transplant ward after discovering water ingress and mould.
NHS Grampian has previously indicated that delays and cost overruns in these projects stem from applying lessons learned from the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, which has investigated water and ventilation issues in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
At First Minister's Questions on Thursday, John Swinney stated that the delays were due to adopting the same "cautionary approach taken in Edinburgh" now applied in Aberdeen.
However, a recent independent investigation into a whistleblowing complaint found that many errors in Aberdeen resulted from failure to adhere to a long-established system for verifying hospital designs against infection control standards.
The investigation concluded that public funds were wasted and patient safety was "negatively impacted" because the checklist-based system known as HAI-Scribe was not properly utilized during early project stages.
"Implementing stage 2 HAI-Scribe at the design stage would have reduced overall project costs by preventing redesign and remedial works,"
the report stated.
It also found that concerns raised by the infection control team were consistently downplayed, with some individuals continuing to minimize infection prevention risks.
