Traffic Scotland has reported that the M8, Scotland’s busiest motorway, currently remains closed in both directions at Harthill (J4A westbound, J5 eastbound) after a serious accident in the early hours of this morning.
There are long delays – motorists are advised to use an alternate route at this time and should allow extra time for their journey.
A mistake in a spreadsheet calculation set in motion a series of events that led to the delayed opening of the new £150m Sick Kids hospital, a new report has revealed.
Health Minister Jeane Freeman stepped in when last-minute issues with ventilation prevented the opening of Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital last July.
The go-ahead for a new hospital at Little France, a replacement for the ageing Sick Childrens Hospital in Sciennes, was first agreed by NHS Lothian in 2005 but the project has seen a catalogue of delays and spiralling costs.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, said: ““It is absolutely staggering that this mistake has had such huge repercussions and was not picked up until after the new hospital had been built.
“This review is highlighting how ill equipped health boards are for undertaking projects the magnitude of a new hospital.
“SNP Ministers are ultimately responsible for what has been described as a ‘collective failure’ in the specifications of ventilators at the hospital.
“This fiasco has cost the tax payer enormous amounts of money, money which should have gone towards properly resourcing hospitals and improving treatment times.”
The saga of Edinburgh’s new Sick Kids hospital is set to be extended again – after health secretary Jeane Freeman admitted the latest timescale was “under review”.
The facility, which is now eight years late, was supposed to finally open in the autumn.
However, Ms Freeman admitted in a parliamentary answer on Friday that the handing over looked set to be held up again because of coronavirus pressures.
Ms Freeman said: “NHS Lothian is working closely with IHSL to ensure delivery of the programme as close to the timeframe of a full handover in Autumn 2020, but this timeframe is now under review. A refreshed programme is likely to be available during the second half of May and I will of course keep Parliament updated.”
Shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said while this particular delay may be understandable given the Covid-19 crisis, it could have all been avoided had the SNP hit any of the previous targets for opening.
The much-needed facility has been plagued by problems, meaning staff and patients have been forced to continue to use the ancient building in the Sciennes area of the city, which the health board itself has acknowledged is no longer fit for purpose.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: “Obviously with the current situation it’s inevitable there will be delays with almost all projects of this nature.
“What wasn’t inevitable was the SNP’s failure to get this hospital open in anything like the timeframe initially set out. This vital hospital – which was commissioned, planned and built by the SNP – was meant to open in 2012.
“It should currently be open, thriving and assisting our dedicated NHS staff with the coronavirus battle. Instead, it lies empty while the rest of the hospital estate is placed under immense pressure.
“Families across the east of Scotland will not forget the SNP’s spectacular mismanagement of the Sick Kids project.”
Key questions around the delay to the opening of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People remain unanswered, the public spending watchdog said yesterday. Continue reading Sick Kids questions remain unanswered, says Auditor General
The second and final part of a review into compliance of all building systems at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN) has been published.
Concluding work ordered by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman in July, the latest NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) report focuses on fire systems, electrical systems and medical gases. This has identified remedial work required within fire and electrical systems prior to occupation and the need for other improvements. Continue reading New Sick Kids: still on course for Spring move
A programme of improvement measures has been put in place to ensure patient safety at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) – but Conservative politicians are calling for a parliamentary inquiry to get to the bottom of what has gone wrong with the beleaguered project.
There is speculation that new checks could now delay the opening of the new hospital until March or April next year. Continue reading Tories call for inquiry over New Sick Kids ‘scandal’
To protect patient safety the Health Secretary has delayed the move of patients, staff and services from the existing Royal Hospital for Sick Children to the new site at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which was due to take place next week. Continue reading New Sick Kids Hospital: MOVE HALTED
The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People has yet again been delayed till Autumn 2018. The project, which was originally meant to open in the winter 2012, was delayed until Autumn 2017, further delayed to Spring 2018 and is now to expected to open in Autumn 2018. Continue reading Another New Sick Kids opening delay “unacceptable” says Tory MSP
