Sick Kids in bid to use leftover Forth money

HEALTH chiefs have written to the Government asking for money saved on the new Forth crossing to be used to pay for the £250 million Sick Kids hospital instead.

NHS Lothian wants some of the money from the predicted 700m underspend to fund the Little France project, which would otherwise have to be financed privately, describing it as a "marvellous opportunity".

They are already concerned about funding the facility, which is due to open in 2015 after the Scottish Government scuppered hopes of using taxpayers' money last year.

The health board's director of finance, Susan Goldsmith, this week formally requested that Holyrood diverts some of money saved on the bridge to the hospital.

She told health board members: "I have made contact with the Scottish Government to see if this will open the door (for Sick Kids funding] and I will pursue this."

With the Holyrood elections imminent, no decision will be made until the next administration is decided, a situation which also prevented the Scottish Government from commenting on the issue. Although such a move appears unlikely, health board sources are quietly confident the request could be granted given that the bridge project is being paid for out of the public purse.

They said there had been precedent for governments making savings in one major building project, and transferring the funds to another.

It would also appease local NHS bosses who are annoyed that the 840m Southern General project in Glasgow is being paid for publicly, while they struggle to find ways to fund the Sick Kids through the new Scottish Futures Trust.

The health board has also revealed it has relaunched plans to include a 50m brain unit as part of the building, a plan which had been previously ditched because of funding concerns. That would bring it into line with Scottish Government policy that the department of clinical neurosciences for children and adults should be on the same site, and add weight to the medical clout at Little France.

Jackie Sansbury, chief operating officer for acute services, said: "NHS Lothian's board today agreed our preferred option for building our new hospital for children and young people and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN).

"This is to use the Non-Profit Distribution funding model to build a combined DCN, and a hospital for children and young people on the site of car park B at Little France. "