Maternity services used by around 3,000 women each year are to be moved from St Helier Hospital because ageing pipework can no longer reliably guarantee the safety of its water supply.
Gynaecology, neonatal care, emergency gynaecology and the Assisted Conception Unit will also be temporarily relocated from spring 2027 while essential maintenance is carried out.
Low levels of Legionella and Pseudomonas have been found in the hospital’s water system, although Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust said the water remained safe to use while filters and other precautions were in place.
Legionella can grow in warm water systems and cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially severe form of pneumonia. Pseudomonas, which is commonly found in water and soil, can cause serious infections in vulnerable patients.
Both bacteria are of particular concern in hospitals, where patients may have weakened immune systems or be recovering from surgery. Those potentially at greater risk include premature babies, women recovering from caesarean sections and patients undergoing fertility treatment.
The bacteria are generally not a risk from drinking water. Infection is more likely when contaminated droplets are inhaled or when bacteria enter the body through wounds or medical devices.
The Trust said it could not fully assess the condition of the pipework or carry out the necessary repairs safely while the services remained operational.
St Helier Hospital opened in 1938, and some of the affected pipes date from before the Second World War. The Trust’s wider maintenance backlog has been estimated at about £150 million.
The relocation comes weeks after £57 million was announced for an expansion of St Helier’s emergency department, which treats around 250 patients a day.
Work on the emergency department could also begin in spring 2027, meaning one part of the hospital is due to receive major investment while another is cleared for urgent repairs.
Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, said: “It is especially worrying that services supporting women, mothers, babies and vulnerable patients are once again being affected by an ageing NHS estate.”
He called for the Trust to clarify where the affected services would be moved, how long the disruption would last and whether they would return to St Helier once the work was completed.
Kohler said the situation strengthened the case for accelerating plans for the proposed Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Sutton, which he said had been delayed until at least 2038.
The Trust has said the relocation will be temporary but has not yet confirmed where each service will operate during the work or when they will return.
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust serves more than 490,000 people and oversees about 5,000 births a year across St Helier and Epsom hospitals.
Chief executive Mat Shaw said: “The relocation is necessary to allow us to understand the condition of the pipework fully and complete the required work safely.”
Image: threestain from London, UK / Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 (CC BY-SA 2.0).
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