Claims Edinburgh Sick Kids hospital will cost extra £90m rejected

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary site at Little France. Picture: Greg Macvean

However Labour piled the pressure on the SNP minister and criticised Ms Freeman’s handling of the “fiasco”, calling again on the government to agree to hold a public inquiry on the delays.

Ms Freeman, who stepped in to overrule NHS Lothian and block the hospital opening, has now said the timetable of work she set out in July is “on track”, although she did not specify a date for the hospital opening.

She said the cost for replacing the ventilation in the critical care unit of the empty hospital is not yet known.

She added: “Reports in the media referencing a further £90 million for the new children’s hospital are inaccurate and misleading.

“To date, the only additional payment since this full business case was approved is the £11.6 million settlement agreement for drainage, which has already been reviewed by the external auditor at Audit Scotland’s request.

“The £80 million figure contained within this for enabling and equipment works has never been part of the £150 million contract for the hospital and was part of the approved business case, which was made publicly available on the board’s website following approval in 2015.

“It is not a new or unexpected cost for the site or connected to the delay.”

Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon criticised Ms Freeman’s handling of the issue.

She said: “There has been no shortage of patience from NHS Lothian staff and the public who were promised this new hospital a decade ago – when Nicola Sturgeon herself was Health Secretary.

“Jeane Freeman says she’s in control of this fiasco but instead of criticising the media and trade unions, she should have been communicating directly with staff in the first place.

“The bill to taxpayers is rising and patients are being let down.”

Meanwhile, health bosses are “confident” the sale of the former Sick Kids Hospital will not fall through – despite no opening date for the problem-hit replacement building.

In 2017, NHS Lothian agreed to sell the current Sick Kids Hospital building on Sciennes Road for around £20m to Liverpool developers Downing – who won planning permission in February to turn the site into student and residential accommodation.

NHS Lothian’s director of finances, Susan Goldsmith, said: ”There is obviously a cost of running both sites. We have been in constant dialogue with the purchaser. We have been working in partnership with them and at the moment I’m confident the sale is secure and we will continue with that developer.”

NHS Lothian chairman Brian Houston said: “I don’t think I can understate the level of disappointment we as board members felt – in particular the impact it had immediately on staff.

“We should also record our gratitude and admiration for the way that staff have reacted to this, which has been quite remarkable despite the initial obvious shock and disruption.

“They have buckled down and got on with it. They are running the shop – business as usual.”