THE delayed children's hospital in Edinburgh is now set to fully open in January 2021 following £16 million completion of remedial works.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman confirmed the revised schedule for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People to MSPs during questions in the Scottish Parliament.
Ms Freeman: "We now have a confirmed timeline that work will be completed in full on 25 January 2021.
"The work has continued to ensure we deliver a safe hospital and that will remain the priority of this project."
READ MORE: Mystery bidder 'corrected' flaw in Sick Kids' hospital design - but lost out on contract
The facility had been due to open in July 2019, but a final inspection uncovered flaws in critical care ventilation which put patients at increased infection risk.
The children's hospital was subsequently expected to open by autumn this year, but work to overhaul the ventilation system was slowed by the Covid crisis.
Ms Freeman said "positive progress" has been made, including moving outpatient services for clinical neuroscience to the site in May with the Department of Clinical Neurosciences fully opening in mid-July when inpatient neurosurgery and neurology wards, along with neurosurgery theatres, relocated to the site.
"All DCN services are now fully delivered from the new site," said Ms Freeman.
READ MORE: Hospitals' inquiry will 'dig deep' into what went wrong
It comes after an independent report by auditors Grant Thornton found that the error which led to the wrong number of air changes being designed into the ventilation system had resulted from a "human error" in 2012.
The report also found that an one bidder, who was unsuccessful to securing the contract to build the hospital, had spotted and corrected the error in their submission but that this had "not raised questions."
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