NHS Grampian has confirmed more than £150m will be invested in building new facilities at Foresterhill Campus in Aberdeen over the next five years
The health board said it had lodged a pre-application notification with Aberdeen City Council – the first step in the formal process towards creating at least 10 new facilities on the site.
The proposals include a state-of-the-art Baird Family Hospital, the ANCHOR Centre, a patient hotel, a multi-storey car park and a new life sciences centre which will be shared with Aberdeen University.
Also included in the plans are the creation of a new Foresterhill Health Centre and a replacement for the existing mortuary.
Malcolm Wright, Chief Executive at NHS Grampian said: “These are ambitious plans and we are making good progress but we should also be very clear that the investment and improvement will not stop there. It is only one part of our overall vision for NHS Grampian 2020. We have a variety of ongoing and planned work that will see us deliver first class additional and upgraded facilities throughout the Grampian area.”
Graeme Smith, Director of Modernisation at NHS Grampian said the new Baird Family Hospital will include maternity, gynaecology, breast screening and breast surgery services. It will also provide a neonatal unit, a centre for reproductive medicine, an operating theatre suite as well as research and teaching facilities.
He said the new ANCHOR Centre will provide both out-patient and day-patient investigation as well as treatment services for people with cancer and for patients with blood disorders, including non-cancer conditions.
Mr Smith added, “In addition to the enhanced specialist treatment and teaching that we will be able to offer, the plans include substantial measures aimed at making the patient experience at Foresterhill easier and more comfortable.
“Those measures range from providing green spaces, exercise areas and more car parking to more elaborate elements like the provision of a budget hotel that will provide low cost accommodation for the wide range of visitors to the hospital and the University of Aberdeen facilities and services on the Foresterhill Campus.
“The recruitment challenges we are facing in Grampian are well documented and the new key worker accommodation will allow us to assist staff recruited from elsewhere with relocation.”
