Staffing costs at the delayed Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh have amounted to almost £140,000 a month.
NHS Lothian bosses have reported that from March to August last year the staffing bill came to £834,000 — the equivalent of £139,000 a month over the period. There were 137 domestic, catering and logistics staff employed.
The costs were revealed after a freedom of information request from the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Their health spokesman, Alex Cole-Hamilton, said the “colossal costs of the sick kids’ ghost hospital continue to grow”.
NHS Lothian has paid £1.35 million a month for the hospital since last February. It was due to open in July but Jeane Freeman, the health secretary, halted the move from the existing site