Further delays to Aberdeen’s proposed hospitals is “troubling me enormously”, the First Minister has said.
Speaking in the chamber on Tuesday, Scottish Conservative MSP Liam Kerr asked First Minister John Swinney to address the “disastrous situation” at Aberdeen’s proposed Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Centre.
Both the Baird Family Hospital – which will provide maternity and neonatal care as well as breast and gynaecology services – and the Anchor Centre were due to be open in 2020, but have faced delays and budget overspends.
NHS Grampian has now pushed Anchor back to December, and Baird to September next year – with the potential for further delays.
Mr Kerr asked Mr Swinney if he would now “personally step in” to open the hospitals.
He said: “Yesterday the north east received the devastating news that the new Baird and Anchor hospitals for maternity care and cancer care, respectively, are to be delayed yet again. They will now be seven years overdue and at least £300 million over budget.
“After this government’s catastrophic mishandling at QEUH and the Edinburgh Sick Kids, will the First Minister now personally step in and channel the full weight of this government to address this disastrous situation and get these hospitals open?”
The Baird Family Hospital and Anchor Cancer Centre were initially expected to cost up to £134 million, but that later rose to £438.6 million.
Mr Swinney said the increase in cost due to the delays was “totally unacceptable”.
The First Minister responded: “I understand the concern that Mr Kerr brings to Parliament, and I share that concern because I am deeply aware of the delays to these projects and it’s an issue that has been personally explored and examined by me.
“Let me give Mr Kerr the assurance that this issue is no stranger to my desk. It’s an issue about which I am profoundly disturbed. Now, Mr Kerr made the comment about the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and the Children’s Hospital in Edinburgh.
I assure Mr Kerr there is no lack of attention to this particular question. Indeed, it is troubling me enormously, and I am determined to ensure that we get to better places of consequence. If it would help, I would be happy to meet with Mr Kerr to discuss this issue with the Health Secretary
“I would contend that the delay to the opening of the children’s hospital in Edinburgh was a direct result of the government’s response to the early concerns that were raised about the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, so I do not think those two issues are directly comparable.”
Mr Swinney continued that delays have occurred due to similar issues being found during construction of the Baird and Anchor Hospitals that were found within the Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth University hospital, including ventilation issues.
He said however “that is resulting in an extraordinary increase in cost, which I find totally unacceptable”.
Mr Swinney said the delays of the hospitals were “troubling me enormously”.
He continued: “I air to Parliament the concern I have that the management of all of these questions to ensure we have patient safety as a paramount consideration in our hospitals is resulting in the presentation of extreme difficulties in the delivery of capital investment projects in the health service, and the government must address that issue and resolve it so that we can continue our investment program in health.
“I assure Mr Kerr there is no lack of attention to this particular question. Indeed, it is troubling me enormously, and I am determined to ensure that we get to better places of consequence. If it would help, I would be happy to meet with Mr Kerr to discuss this issue with the Health Secretary.”
Interim director of infrastructure at NHS Grampian Jug Johal said: “We’d like to apologise to our patients and staff, they have waited much longer than we would have liked to have these projects completed – but it is important that we ensure they are suitable for decades to come.
“We are currently working with the contractor to resolve remaining issues in order to achieve a KSAR (key stage assurance review) approved status with NHS Assure.
“Once these buildings are open patients from NHS Grampian, and further afield, will have excellent facilities that will serve them for the decades to come.”