Almost £7 million of taxpayers’ money has been ploughed into a National Treatment Centre for Grampian despite building work not starting amid uncertainty over the project’s future.
Crisis-hit NHS Grampian has revealed £6.8m has been spent on the new hospital, which was paused in January 2024 due to funding problems.
More than half of that, totalling £3.9m, has been spent on contractor and design team costs despite a spade hitting the ground.
The remaining cash has been spent on NHS Grampian salary and admin costs.
Construction on the Aberdeen facility was due to begin back in March this year, with the National Treatment Centre opening its doors to patients in May 2027.
The building would provide facilities for day surgeries, specialist clinics and diagnostics, including CT scans and X-rays.
The £6.8m spend on the National Treatment Centre comes after figures last month showed NHS Grampian was poised to spend nearly £50m more than it can afford by the end of the financial year.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Tess White said: “Questions must be asked as to why almost £7 million of taxpayers’ money has seemingly been wasted on a project that the Scottish Government has shelved.
“At a time when NHS Grampian is facing spiralling levels of debt, it’s ludicrous that this sum of money has been spent with nothing to show for it.
“This cash could have been used to help frontline care where it is currently needed the most.
“Instead, this botched development has left taxpayers out of pocket, which is a direct result of the SNP government’s incompetence and financial mismanagement.
“NHS Grampian is at breaking point, both operationally and financially, which is why the Scottish Government must now be upfront with the public about the future of this project at a matter of urgency.”
