£285k Water Bill Refund For Hospital

Altnagelvin Hospital is to receive a refund of more than £285,000 from Northern Ireland Water.

Following an investigation by the Consumer Council, it was discovered that the hospital's water and sewerage bill had been wrongly calculated, entitling them to a refund of £285,616.

Hospitals have two separate charges for water and sewerage bills. One, is for standard usage, while the other is for trade effluent such as water generated from laundry services and laboratories.

In 2008, legislation was introduced which changed how hospitals were charged for the second type of waste. However, it was revealed through the Consumer Council's investigation that NI Water had only applied the new charges from 2010 entitling Altnagelvin Hospital to a refund.

The investigation took 18 months to complete, but speaking afterwards, Consumer Council's Interim Chief Executive, Aodhan O'Donnell, said: "Not only is this the biggest refund the Consumer Council has ever secured, it is great to think this money could be used to make a real difference for patients.

"And it is only the beginning of the story, because the work we have done with Altnagelvin's representatives, ADSM, has implications for all hospitals across Northern Ireland. NI Water has written to all Health Trusts and the Consumer Council is now reminding them that they have until 28 February to contact NI Water regarding a refund.

"The Consumer Council will monitor progress and the full financial refund delivered to the remaining 19 hospitals in NI as a result of this work."

In a statement, NI Water said it "welcomed the successful outcome of negotiations".

(JP/CD)