The concrete at the Cospicua elderly home “was very easily removed and very definitely below expected standards,” architect Stephen Buhagiar said in a report for Social Projects Management Ltd which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
The report, seen by The Malta Independent, is dated 2 September 2021, meaning that it has been known for almost two years that the concrete at the home – which was built in 1997 – was not up to scratch.
However, PN MP Paula Mifsud Bonnici revealed last Sunday that the Social Care Standards Authority (SCSA) which has now said that Cospicua elderly home should be demolished had previously granted a licence certificate that is valid till the end of January 2024, which says that it is up to standards.
Although dating back to 2021 and carried out during previous works on the elderly home, the architect noted how “while undergoing the hacking of the cracking concrete at the balconies in Triq San Guzepp and Triq il-Konservatorju, and the beams in the terrace situated at the fifth-floor level, it was found that the condition of the concrete in these balconies is far worse than expected.”
He added that this was due to a reinforcement issue, however that apart from this problem “the most major concern was the level of the strength of the concrete.”
Terracore Ltd was commissioned to carry concrete tests, from several of the property’s balconies, however two samples did not withstand the coring test, while the rest indicated results which are “not acceptable.”
The government announced the need to move residents of the home elsewhere at the end of last month as works were needed. The Ministry for Active Ageing said the residence requires work to ensure it "conforms to the high standards and levels of dignity that the government requires of homes for the elderly".
The residents at the home have protested against the move, with the Nationalist Party also calling for an inquiry into why the home needs to be evacuated and demolished.
But the minister told journalists that there is no need for such an inquiry. "We have concerns about health and safety" issues at the home, he said.
However, after answering a previous parliamentary question by Mifsud Bonnici by saying that “Cabinet discussions are of a confidential matter”, the Minister decided to table the reports on Wednesday.
Another report containing complaints referred to the Social Care Standards Authority (SCSA) was also tabled in Parliament, however a copy is not available yet.