ELECTRICAL faults and problems with fire safety have been found in Edinburgh's new children's hospital.

A final report on the flagship building by National Services Scotland (NSS) has revealed major problems with the electricity systems at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP), including a need for mitigation to avoid the failure of the single electrical supply to critical equipment such as life support systems.

The review, which was commissioned by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, found there appeared to be a "lack of qualified and experienced", authorised and competent persons for the electrical installation.

READ MORE: Edinburgh Sick Kids' will not open for at least a year 

Issues were also identified with the fire system, including a requirement to upgrade fire doors and improve smoke dampers on evacuation routes.

Some compliance records could not be found and for both NHS Lothian and the consortium behind the building, IHSL Ltd, the investigators said there appeared to be omissions in an effective management structure.

It comes after a last-minute inspection in June discovered ventilation flaws in critical care which delayed the opening of the RHCYP.

An independent report by KPMG in September said the design error stemmed from a document produced by NHS Lothian and distributed to bidders during the tender stage in 2012.

As a result, single-bed cubicles and four-bed rooms were built with four air changes per hour, instead of the required 10 needed to minimise infection risk in the sickest patients.

KPMG said opportunities to spot the error were missed as far back as November 2016.

Subsequently, issues were also found with the hospital's theatre ventilation systems and a risk of flooding in the kitchen.

The facility had been due to begin admitting patients from July but the children's hospital is now not expected to be fully open until autumn 2020, with the Department for Clinical Neurosciences - which shares to site - opening in spring.

READ MORE: Taxpayers face £16m bill to fix new children's hospital 

The campus requires £16 million of remedial works, which will be paid for by taxpayers. In the meantime, NHS Lothian is also paying £1.4m a month in management fees to IHSL Ltd, the private consortium which built the hospital under a PFI-style contract.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon said: “The Sick Kids’ scandal is a national disgrace that runs straight to the top of the SNP government.

“This ghost hospital is costing taxpayers £1.4million every month in management fees. If these serious issues were not identified sooner this could have led to a tragedy."

The new hospital in Little France, to the south-east of Edinburgh, was originally due to open in July 2017 in order to replace the capital's 124-year-old children's hospital in Sciennes Road. The site has been sold to a property developer for student flats.

During construction of the new hospital, NHS Lothian also had to pay IHSL Ltd an extra £11.6m in an out-of-court settlement to fix shortcomings with drainage, void fire detectors and heater batteries. NHS Lothian insisted that the issues were "materially non-compliant with the original specifications", but was advised that it would be too risky to sue.

The total cost of the project to taxpayers, including long-term leasing fees, will now exceed £450m.

A joint public inquiry is due to take place into the building of the RHCYP and the Queen Elizabeth superhospital in Glasgow, which has also been plagued by ventilation issues and clusters of infections which have forced cancer wards to close. The Crown Office is investigating the deaths of two patients who contracted a fungal infection linked to pigeon droppings.

Both hospitals were constructed by the same firm, Brookfield Multiplex.

NHS Lothian chief executive Tim Davison said there were "no new substantive compliance issues" in the updated NSS review that would exacerbate delays.

He said: "The ventilation system in critical care remains the main issue and we continue to work through the remaining remedial works to ensure DCN can move in in the spring. We are also carefully risk-assessing possible further enhancements that can be achieved without affecting the current timeline."

Ms Freeman said: "The safety and wellbeing of all patients and their families has always been and will remain top priority, and I am truly sorry for any impact the current situation has had on them."