Can I ground/bond pool pump on an existing pool?

Wife and I are buying a home with a pool. Home inspector noted that the pool pumps are not grounded (or, indeed, even served by GFCI protection), and that likely meant the steel in the pool was not grounded/bonded, either. Both he and the electrician I had out afterwards said this was a dangerous situation that needed to be corrected.

Fast-forward a couple of days, and the electrician now tells me that there's nothing he can do about either the pumps or the pool steel. The steel I understand - it's encased in concrete and buried under a concrete patio - but the pumps seem like a straightforward fix. I suggested drilling a small hole in the nearby concrete, driving in a new ground rod, and grounding the pool equipment to it. But he said that wouldn't work, and that trying to ground the pumps back to the main electrical panel was a bad idea as well (I might have misunderstood some of this, but that was the gist of it).

His estimate for repairs was limited to installing GFCI protection on the circuit powering the pumps. I'm inclined to trust him, as I've used him for years and generally found him to be honest and ethical. My wife is freaking out, though, picturing fried little children in a pool of boiling, electrified water - and I'm having a hard time figuring out where to go from here.

Any input would be appreciated.