Pseudomonas found at Belfast's new unopened maternity unit after 'routine' check

The Belfast Health Trust has confirmed the bacteria pseudomonas has been found at its new but as yet unopened maternity hospital.

The unit has been scheduled to open in the summer of 2024.

In a statement, the trust said: "As part of the routine monitoring of the new Maternity Hospitals water systems the contractor has advised they have detected pseudomonas. The contractor is taking action to remediate this.

"As this building is not yet open, no patients have been affected. We regularly test for pseudomonas across all of our sites.

"We are working closely with the contractor to solve this issue." Pseudomonas is a naturally occurring bacteria that is present in water and ground soil.

It often colonises in plumbing fixtures but rarely harms healthy individuals.

The Trust takes steps to prevent pseudomonas colonising in plumbing network to protect vulnerable patients which includes regularly testing the water system.

The new maternity hospital is constructed over five floors and has been designed to provide the highest standards of clinical excellence while at the same time providing a ‘hotel-like’ feel to help normalise the birthing experience for women and their partners.

The building is at the commissioning phase. This is the point in the project where all of the complex mechanical and electrical systems are witnessed and tested prior to handover. The building is due to be handed over to the Trust by the beginning of 2024.

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