Delays to building a desperately needed new facility at Norfolk's largest hospital added a staggering £10m to the project's bill, bosses have revealed.

Last month the new orthopaedic centre at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital finally welcomed its first patients - two years after originally scheduled.

The Norfolk and Norwich Orthopaedic Centre (NanOC), a state-of-the-art new wing of the hospital, was commissioned in direct response to the growing backlog of elective operations created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Image: NNUH)

It promises to carry out operations such as knee and hip replacements three days a week as the department continues to play catch-up following Covid shutdowns - with thousands still awaiting surgery.

Originally, the project was set for completion in the summer of 2022, with an estimated final cost of £11m.

However, hospital bosses have now revealed that a host of delays which held up the project have meant its final is expected to be more than £21m - almost double original budget.

The delays included a range of complications in the project, including troubles with drainage at the Colney site and contractual issues with PFI firm Octagon, which was working with the hospital on the construction.

An NNUH spokesman said: "The increase from the initial planned costs was driven primarily by delays in progressing the scheme due to issues which meant the project was impacted by prevailing economic conditions.

"This resulted in increased construction costs for supplies and services and higher than planned levels of inflation.

"Additional works were also identified as the scheme progressed that were required to make the facility fully compliant with healthcare standards."

(Image: NNUH)

Simon Hackwell, director of major projects at the hospital, said that getting the facility up and running had been "a challenge".

The new facility has treated its first patients with bosses already working up plans to build a second centre at the hospital.