(Image: T&A)
A £19 million hospital unit is not expected to open until next spring, more than two years after patients were originally due to start using the facility.
The Surgical Day Case Unit at St Luke's in Bradford was expected to begin treating patients in February 2025 after being showcased to the Telegraph & Argus the previous month.
However, the building has never entered clinical use.
Why has it been shut?
The Surgical Day Case Unit at St Luke's Hospital is currently fenced off to the public. (Image: T&A)
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has now confirmed problems were identified with both the building's water and ventilation systems during testing before it opened to patients.
A spokesperson said: “The surgical Day Case Unit at St. Luke's Hospital is currently undergoing the final work required before it can be brought into clinical use.
“As part of testing before the unit opened to patients, issues with the building's water and ventilation systems were identified which required further work before the unit could be safely brought into use.”
The interior of the building when the T&A visited in January 2025 (Image: T&A)
Unit is currently fenced off
The T&A had been made aware of concerns about the facility's water supply and visited the site this week, finding the unit closed.
The newspaper then approached the trust for comment, which confirmed the building has never entered clinical use and remains under development.
The purpose-built facility, constructed on the grounds of St Luke's Hospital, was designed to increase capacity for planned surgery and help tackle NHS waiting lists.
The interior of the building when the T&A visited in January 2025 (Image: T&A)
When the T&A was given a tour of the building in January 2025, it appeared ready to open.
The development includes two operating theatres, recovery areas, consultation rooms and supporting clinical facilities.
At the time, trust leaders said the unit would help to protect planned operations from disruption caused by emergency pressures elsewhere in the hospital.
The interior of the building when the T&A visited in January 2025 (Image: T&A)
Unit expected to be open 'in spring'
But the trust has now confirmed further work is required before the building can be used safely.
A spokesperson said: “The trust has worked with specialist advisers and project partners to agree the work needed to address these issues and ensure the facility meets all required standards before opening.”
The Surgical Day Case Unit at St Luke's Hospital is currently fenced off to the public. (Image: T&A)
They added that remedial work is now under way.
“This work is now under way and we expect the unit to become operational in spring,” the spokesperson said.
Who is paying?
The trust said the majority of costs associated with the additional work were being met by "relevant parties" rather than the NHS organisation itself.
The trust has not disclosed the exact nature of the defects identified during testing, nor how much the remedial work is expected to cost.
The Surgical Day Case Unit at St Luke's Hospital is currently fenced off to the public. (Image: T&A)
What were the original plans?
The £19 million development was intended to increase the number of routine operations that could be carried out in Bradford and help reduce patient waiting times.
Trust leaders said it would bring specialist surgical teams and services together under one roof, helping improve efficiency.
Operating separately from Bradford Royal Infirmary's emergency services, it was designed to provide dedicated space for planned surgery and reduce the risk of operations being cancelled at short notice.
The interior of the building when the T&A visited in January 2025 (Image: T&A)
According to the trust's plans at the time, the unit would focus on high-volume, lower-complexity surgery, including trauma and orthopaedics, general surgery, urology, gynaecology, plastic surgery and colorectal surgery.
The day case unit was built with two operating theatres expected to run six days a week.
The interior of the building when the T&A visited in January 2025 (Image: T&A)
Because it would be separate from emergency care, trust leaders said it would help keep surgical beds available for elective patients.
The T&A asked what impact the closure of the unit had had on services and patients, and how the trust had mitigated the delay.
The trust said care had continued to be delivered through existing services during that period.
A spokesperson said: “As the facility has not yet entered operational use, patients have continued to receive care through existing services across the trust.”