December 5 2012

NHS Lothian has begun a hunt to find a private partner to design, build, maintain and finance the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Little France, Edinburgh.

The project will include a new home for clinical neurosciences, currently based at the Western General Hospital, as well as a base for child and adolescent health services from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital – negating the need for cross-city transfers.

Bids are invited by way of a pre-qualification questionnaire via Public Contracts Scotland and OJEU for the hospital facility which will be the first to be built under the Non Profit Distributing model.

Three short listed bidders will proceed to a competitive dialogue starting in spring 2013 with a preferred bidder set to be announced early in 2014.

At this point design work on the new hospital will be finalised with construction commencing in the summer with completion anticipated for 2017.

Susan Goldsmith, Finance Director, NHS Lothian, said: “The benefits of having children’s, maternity and adult services on the same site are well documented and this combined facility will create a centre of excellence at Little France, bringing paediatric care, specialist neonatal care, neurosciences and emergency departments together.

“The proximity to the University facilities will also improve opportunities for partnership working and bring research to the bedside.

Health Secretary Alex Neil added: “I have been clear in the past that investing in our infrastructure is vital to growing our economy and the NHS presents huge opportunities to do this. Not only will it bring benefits to business and more jobs but it also means that patients can be treated in the best possible surroundings.”

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