Date set for opening of Edinburgh's new Sick Kids hospital

Work due to be completed in time for autumn move

Scotland's ban on construction work during the Covid-19 lockdown does not apply to hospitals so work on the Sick Kids is continuing

THE opening date for Edinburgh’s delayed new Sick Kids Hospital has been set for November 23.

Health bosses expect all the work on modifications ordered after last summer’s cancelled move to be completed by September 3, allowing almost 12 weeks for commissioning and inspection.

A final decision on whether the November date goes ahead is due to be taken in mid-October.

The new date was welcomed by opposition politicians. Tory Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said: “This may finally be light at the end of tunnel of the whole Sick Kids saga. For people who work at the current hospital and the families who have been desperate to get into the new facility I certainly hope this will be an end to all the delays.”

And Edinburgh Southern Labour MSP Daniel Johnson said: “It’s welcome to have a firm date by which we should expect the new hospital to be open. For obvious reasons we need all the hospital capacity we can get at the moment. I look forward to children and young people being treated in first-class facilities.”

Originally expected to be ready in winter 2012, the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) suffered a long series of delays. Problems included a protracted land swap deal, partner firms running into financial difficulties, poor weather and a serious flood after a hot water pipe burst overnight.

But the new £150 million building next to the Royal Infirmary at Little France was finally due to open last July, replacing the current Sick Kids site at Sciennes.

At the last minute Health Secretary Jeane Freeman stepped in to order a halt to the transfer after final inspections found the ventilation system in critical care did not meet national standards, producing only four air changes per hour instead of ten. She also ordered further checks on the building which uncovered other issues with the ventilation, water, drainage, electrical and fire safety systems.

In September, she announced work totalling £16m needed to be carried out and said the new Sick Kids would open in autumn 2020 with the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN) at the Western General moving to the new site in spring 2020.

Two weeks ago, Ms Freeman announced the DCN move would go ahead on May 11, two weeks earlier than previously planned.

The new opening date for the Sick Kids emerged in recently-published minutes of NHS Lothian’s finance and resources committee held in February.

The minutes said: “The date for completion in the draft agreement is for November 23, 2020, with changes to the building complete by September 3. The period between these two dates would be for commissioning and validation.

“The date on which a decision would be made as to whether to work to the November 23 opening would be in mid October, six weeks prior to opening. Testing would be in progress from September 3 which would give incremental assurance that all areas had been satisfactorily covered.”