Full review of delayed children’s hospital
Edinburgh’ s new children’ s hospital could be delayed for a whole year, an MSP has suggested, after health secretary Jeane Freeman announced more checks were needed on the £150 million building.
Freeman ordered a halt to the opening of the 233bed hospital two weeks ago due to problems with the ventilation system in the critical care unit.
Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital could be delayed for a whole year, an MSP has suggested, after health secretary Jeane Freeman announced more checks were needed on the £150 million building.
Two weeks after ordering a halt to the planned opening of the 233-bed hospital because of problems with the ventilation system in the critical care unit, Ms Freeman said major checks would be carried out on all aspects of the building that could affect the safety of staff and patients. Priority is being given to the water, ventilation and drainage systems.
But a full report on the checks by NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) is not expected until September.
Lothian MSP and Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “Once we get the report, whatever’s needing to be done will then have to be commissioned. Will it be this time next year before we get it open?” The hospital was originally due to open in 2012, but has been subject to repeated delays, culminating in the announcement on 4 July, just hours before the move from the existing Sick Kids Hospital was due to start, that the opening was being indefinitely postponed.
Claims that drainage problems led to two previously undisclosed floods in the basement of the new hospital were revealed earlier this week. A source close to the project said a drainage sump had not been designed for the volume of waste water it would have to cope with.
Ms Freeman, who visited the new hospital yesterday, has indicated she hopes for a phased transfer of services, but her announcement – released as the answer to a parliamentary question – gave no timetable for a move.
She said: “I understand that this is a disappointing and worrying time for parents and carers of patients who have appointments at the new children’s hospital.
“However, safe, effective and high quality clinical services continue to be delivered from the existing site in Sciennes.
“The work carried out by NSS will give quality assurance on the water, ventilation and drainage systems and establish a timeframe for services to move safely to the new hospital.” She announced NSS would also review current and recently completed major NHS capital projects elsewhere to ensure the same standards had been complied with.
And she said finance experts KPMG had begun an independent review of the governance arrangements for the new children’s hospital to establish the factors that led to the delay.