Galliford Try is facing renewed challenges at the £45 million Worthing Integrated Care Centre (WICC), nearly a year after completing construction. The building, designed to serve as a flagship healthcare hub for the region, remains unopened due to ongoing issues with the water system, which has tested positive for traces of legionella.
The Project So Far
The health centre was originally budgeted at around £34 million but has seen costs rise to approximately £45 million. Construction was completed in December last year, but handover has been repeatedly delayed due to complications surrounding water-system compliance.
The issue centres on legionella bacteria found within the building’s water infrastructure — a serious concern in any public facility, but particularly in healthcare environments. The discovery prompted an extensive investigation and remediation effort, with Galliford Try assuming full responsibility for resolving the matter.
Local authorities have confirmed that the contractor remains contractually accountable for the design, installation, and certification of the water system, and that the building cannot be occupied until full compliance is achieved.
Why It Matters
For Worthing and the surrounding area, the delay represents more than an operational setback. The new facility is intended to consolidate GP practices, NHS outpatient services, and community health functions into a single modern space. Its continued closure is therefore affecting healthcare delivery, capacity planning, and community confidence.
From a construction standpoint, the situation underscores how critical water hygiene and mechanical systems are in complex projects — particularly in sectors governed by strict regulatory standards. Legionella contamination, even in trace amounts, can halt handover and expose all parties to substantial financial and reputational risks.
Key Challenges
- Technical remediation: Eliminating legionella from a complex water system requires meticulous testing, flushing, and redesign. The process is often iterative and can take months to verify as safe.
- Financial implications: With the project already exceeding its original budget, further delays risk additional costs in remediation, insurance, and potential penalties for late completion.
- Reputational concerns: For Galliford Try, the issue threatens to overshadow what was meant to be a landmark community development.
- Public impact: The local health services that were due to move into the new facility are still operating from outdated premises, limiting capacity and modernisation plans.
Next Steps
The contractor continues to work closely with environmental engineers and public health specialists to certify the system as safe for use. No official opening date has been confirmed, though the goal remains to complete all remedial works and testing as soon as possible.
Observers across the construction sector are watching closely, as the case highlights the importance of early systems testing, risk management, and accountability in healthcare developments. Lessons from Worthing may well inform how future design-and-build contracts handle water systems and commissioning responsibilities.
Final Thought
The Worthing Integrated Care Centre was envisioned as a state-of-the-art healthcare facility — but despite the building’s completion, unresolved compliance issues have turned it into a cautionary tale. Galliford Try’s efforts to rectify the situation will be critical not only to the project’s eventual success but also to maintaining trust in large-scale public-sector construction. The outcome will likely shape industry practices around building services, testing, and delivery in health infrastructure for years to come.