Facilities staff last night succeed in restoring the water supply to the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute following a burst water pipe.

A hospital spokeswoman said the pipe ruptured in the early hours of Monday at the Devonshire hospital, formerly known as St. Brendan?s.

Staff have been complaining about water problems for months with one source saying nursing staff spent a lot of their time dealing problems caused by a broken water pump.

In the past month, the Devonshire hospital has been without water several times, sometimes for up to half a day.

The source said distractions and staff shortages were stopping nurses giving patients the quality of care they need to truly heal. ?What nurses are doing is maintenance care ? giving medication, doing only what you have to do, so care is compromised.?

A hospital spokeswoman said last night of the latest crisis: ?A water pipe burst in the early hours of Monday morning at MWI.

?There was a problem with a faulty valve that caused hot water to seep into the cold water supply, which distorted the pipe and caused it to burst.

?The problem was contained to the upper wing, and water has been restored after the faulty valve was replaced. The lower section never lost water.?

The spokeswomen said contingency plans were implemented ensuring minimal disruptions.

?As we know, our aged infrastructure poses many challenges and is the reason why we have commissioned the estate master plan. In the interim, our maintenance staff works to address infrastructure issues as necessary.?

Asked about other recent problems the spokeswoman said: ?MWI dates back to the late 1960s when our water system was installed, and as a result, there have been disruptions in our water supply and temperature. With our ageing infrastructure, these issues have been multifaceted in occurrence.

?Our facilities management staff, in collaboration with Watlington Waterworks, are continually addressing the problem areas to ensure minimal disruption in service delivery to the clients.?