Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) in Edinburgh
The Scottish government has announced that it will hold a public inquiry to examine “issues” at hospitals in Edinburgh and Glasgow, both of which were built by Multiplex.
The £150m Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) in Edinburgh was originally supposed to open in 2017 but will now not open until autumn 2020 after problems with ventilation and drainage in the building, which the Scottish government has blamed on human error in the 2012 tender documents.
The £824m Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow opened in 2015.
The Scottish government said the inquiry would determine how “vital issues relating to ventilation and other key building systems” occurred and what steps can be taken to prevent problems being repeated in future 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.”
In a statement, Multiplex said: "We welcome the announcement of the public inquiry and will provide our full support to help the investigation get to the facts of what has happened in relation to both construction projects.
"In light of the public inquiry, we will not be making any further comment at this time."
