The Health Secretary has come in for more criticism as she revealed further problems with the ventilation, water systems and drainage at Edinburgh’s new Sick Kids Hospital. In a statement to Holyrood, the Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley MSP admitted that it would be at least a year before the building could be occupied, with repairs expected to cost the taxpayer around £16 million.
The building was supposed to be open in 2012 but a string of delays and faults have left the building sitting empty and costing NHS Lothian £1.35 million a month in payments to the site’s owners.
The SNP Government has already been heavily criticised for serious issues with the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where faults with the water supplies and other systems have led to ward closures and patients contracting dangerous infections.
Local MSP Brian Whittle, who’s a member of the Scottish Conservative’s health team and the Parliament’s Health & Sport Committee, has blasted this latest failure and challenged Jeanne Freeman to get a grip on managing NHS building projects.
Brian Whittle said:
“This admission is the latest in a long line of failures by Jeanne Freeman and the SNP government when it comes to building and upgrading hospitals in Scotland. Patients and their families shouldn’t have to wait almost a decade more than they were promised and the taxpayer shouldn’t have to shell out over £30 million because of mistakes the Scottish Government presided over.
The SNP talk a big game about transforming and investing in the NHS, but when it comes to delivery their record is lousy.
In the coming years hospitals across the country, including Ayr & Crosshouse are going to require major investment and improvement to deal with our aging population and growing demands for more complex care. Jeanne Freeman needs to start showing she can actually deliver this change or the SNP’s NHS legacy will be one of abject failure.”
