WATCH: New Sick Kids hospital will not open next week
Patients were due to move in next week but the new site at ERI has failed a final safety check.
Last updated 5th Jul 2019
The new Sick Kids hospital at Little France will not open as planned next week.
A last minute safety check at the building has highlighted problems with the ventilation in critical care departments.
Patients and equipment was due to start moving over from the old site at Sciennes Road to the new development at ERI tomorrow, but that will now not happen.
It also means that patients will be forced to stay at the old hospital until further notice.
This isn’t the first time the opening date has been pushed back. The hospital was originally due to open in 2017, but numerous issues have stopped that from happening.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has now postponed the move after final checks revealed the critical care department's ventilation system does not meet national standards.
She said: There is no greater responsibility of the NHS than to ensure the clinical safety of their patients, not least when those patients are children.
In order to be absolutely sure that patient safety is delivered, I have no choice but to postpone NHS Lothian's planned move to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.
It is vital that patient safety remains paramount, which is why I have asked the health board to stop all moves until assurances have been given that the new site is entirely compliant with the relevant health technical standards.''
She added: While this issue has been caught by the final safety checks, I am disappointed and deeply concerned that this was not identified earlier.'