HOK’s £165m Papworth hospital job has suffered a major setback after it was found that insulation fitted to the building did not meet contractual specifications.

The new Royal Papworth Hospital was due to be handed over this month but is now expected to be delayed by several months.

The Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Trust announced the delay to the opening of its new hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in a statement on its website.

The statement said: “The hospital’s construction partner, Skanska, was due to hand over the building to the Trust in July. This would allow the Trust two months to train staff and complete its equipping programme before opening the new building to patients in September. 

“In recent weeks, both Skanska and an independent tester have been checking the building to ensure it meets the specifications set out in the original contract.

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