Flood Management Strategy for Letterkenny Hospital Published

The West / North West Hospitals Group has been granted planning permission from Donegal County Council for the construction of a new storm flow routing pipe and associated works at Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH).
 
The procurement process to appoint a contractor has been carried out in parallel with the planning process. Site works are expected to commence by July and are scheduled for completion in autumn 2014. The flood management works, including the new culvert, are estimated to cost approximately €1m.
 
A detailed flood management strategy (FMS) involving the culvert and buildings has been drawn up by West / North West Hospitals Group and HSE Estates and published today (03/06/2014), together with two engineering reports, on the West / North West Hospitals Group’s website (http://www.wnwhg.ie/content/publications).
 
There are already improved interim flood management arrangements in place at Letterkenny General Hospital with additional CCTV monitoring and regular inspection of flows and levels in the stream. This also includes the location of a digger onsite and access on a 24-hour basis to a roster of drivers to provide rapid emergency response, as required by the hospital’s insurers.
 
Other flood management measures such as flood doors are also being designed into the new building works.
 
Mr Bill Maher, Group Chief Executive for the West / North West Hospitals Group, stated, “On July 26, 2013, after rain fell with an intensity in excess of 50mm/hr over 15 minutes, floods wiped out 40% of the floor space of LGH, eliminating more than 70% of the hospital’s capacity. Reflecting the national commitment endorsed by Minister Reilly, we have made considerable progress in the full reinstatement of all clinical services at Letterkenny Hospital for our patients in the North West and this will remain a priority for the Group into the future.
 
“Besides restoring services, we must ensure that we take all possible measures to prevent the re-occurrence of such a major disaster, regarded as the most significant in the history of the state in the acute health sector. Although the new storm flow routing pipe is not a condition of the insurance warranty, we are investing in this level of precaution to further lessen potential disruption to patient services into the future.
 
“I would like to thank Donegal County Council for the their advice and support, my colleagues at Letterkenny General Hospital and the West / North West Hospitals Group senior management team who have guided this re-build project, Brian Gallagher from our engineering advisors, Tobin Consulting Engineers, and our colleagues in HSE Estates for their considerable technical input into the flood management strategy and for their on-going support throughout the recovery and rebuild of Letterkenny General Hospital.”