PARENTS and families from West Fife affected by the delayed £150 million sick kids hospital in Edinburgh have been urged to have their say.

The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People opened eventually in March, 20 months late, and the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry wants to hear about anyone whose care and treatment may have been impacted.

It was due for completion in July 2019 but work was halted due to safety concerns about ventilation in the building, something that reportedly cost taxpayers an extra £28m to fix.

The chairman of the inquiry, Lord Brodie, is also urging anyone affected by the delayed opening of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, which shares a campus with the sick kids hospital, to get in touch.

He said: "Our focus for hearings in September will be on patients and their families and we would like to encourage more people from Edinburgh and the surrounding areas who may have been impacted to contact us.

“We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to speak with us and I want to reassure those with a story to share that my team will handle this with the utmost respect and sensitivity.”

The independent inquiry is investigating the delayed opening of the two new facilities at Little France with public hearings to take place from September 20.

It is seeking to establish what impact the construction issues that led to the delay had on patient care and treatment, as well as the wider impact on families.

This could range from the postponement of scheduled treatment plans to patients being diverted to other hospitals.

The Scottish Government approved a business case in 2012 for the new sick kids hospital to move from Sciennes, near the Meadows, to Little France, next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Construction began in February 2015 but there were delays the following year due to bad weather and two of the building firms involved plunging into administration.

Just before it was set to open, in July 2019, checks discovered the ventilation system did not meet the required standards, leading to further delays.

The new hospital includes a children's emergency department, 242 beds, 10 theatres and wards, outdoor play areas and physical and mental health specialities.

While it cost £150m to build, repayment over the next 25 years, including facilities management fees and maintenance, will bring the final bill to £432m.

The Department of Clinical Neurosciences moved from the Western General Hospital site to its new home at Little France in July last year.

Teams of specialists there treat people with disorders of the nervous system, including problems affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or brain injuries.

Relevant information can be shared by calling the inquiry’s dedicated phone line on 0808 196 5000 and leaving a message or emailing public@hospitalsinquiry.scot.

Further contact details are available on the website www.hospitalsinquiry.scot.