The new Sick Kids hospital in Edinburgh hasn’t treated a single patient, but already it is mired in scandal.
It’s hard to imagine how this botched project could have gone any worse. Patients, their families and staff were told this all-singing, all-dancing facility would be up-and-running by the end of 2012.
And it was much-needed, given the dilapidated state of the charming but completely outdated current hospital in the Sciennes area of the city.
We’re now seven years beyond that and the new hospital seems farther away than ever. It is fast-becoming one of the greatest scandals in devolved NHS history.
Read more: Jeane Freeman warns row over NHS sick kids delay should not get personal
The funding model has been mucked up, construction has been a disaster, and the deal with the owners of the site is proving to be completely unsatisfactory.
Yes, NHS Lothian has to take its share of the blame for this heavily-delayed project. But the buck must stop with the Scottish Government. It has had complete control over health in Scotland since coming to power in 2007. That has been more than enough opportunity to sort this out.
Successive first ministers and a number of health secretaries have been happy to take acclaim for completed health projects. Nicola Sturgeon was particularly pleased with her so-called “super hospital” in Glasgow beside her Southside constituency.
So now they must be fully accountable for this farce.
After all, this project was more than simply the building of a new hospital for the people of Edinburgh. It was meant to be a hub of clinical excellence, serving children across the country, and attracting the best medical brains and research opportunities from across the globe.
Miles Briggs is shadow health secretary.
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