A public inquiry will be held to examine issues at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) sites following concerns over safety and wellbeing
The public inquiry will determine how vital issues relating to ventilation and other key building systems occurred, and what steps can be taken to prevent this being repeated in future construction projects.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman, said: “The safety and well-being of all patients and their families is my top priority and should be the primary consideration in all NHS construction projects.
“I want to make sure this is the case for all future projects, which is why, following calls from affected parents, I am announcing a public inquiry to examine the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital sites.
“The recent KPMG and NSS reports into the new Edinburgh Children’s Hospital will provide a significant amount of the underpinning evidence for the inquiry alongside the ongoing independent review into the delivery and maintenance of the QEUH.
“The current situation is not one anyone would choose – but it is one I am determined to resolve.”
On 4 July 2019, the cabinet secretary for health and sport announced that the opening of the newly built NHS Lothian Royal Hospital for Children and Young People was to be postponed due to issues identified with the air ventilation system at the Hospital.
The cabinet secretary took the decision after final safety checks which revealed that the ventilation system within the critical care areas of the Hospital required further work in order to meet national standards.
NHS National Services Scotland instructed KPMG LLP to independently establish the facts surrounding the decision to delay the move to the Hospital.
The focus of the review has been to establish what decisions were made by NHS Lothian in relation to the air ventilation issues and any other material issues that led to the delay.
The estimated cost of producing this report is £400,000.
On 2 July 2019, a decision was made to delay moving to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People & Department of Clinical Neurosciences (RHCYP & DCN). This followed an inspection of the facility, which raised concerns regarding the ventilation arrangements for critical care beds (intensive care and high dependency) and other areas of the hospital.
