Plans have been finally been revealed for a new hospital in Fort William.
The hospital, to replace the Belford, will be built by 2028 at a new location at An Aird, near the town’s police station and high school.
Locals will be asked about whether the new facility should keep the Belford name or whether they would prefer something new.
Two years later than originally indicated, the Scottish Government has said funding will be available for the project.
Fort William hospital to be replaced at last
The hospital, built in 1965, has 10,000 admissions a year. Of those, many are in relation to mountaineering and “adventure” accidents.
NHS Highland has released further details of the scheme ahead of a public meeting next week.
The meeting on Tuesday, June 6 will give local people and stakeholders more details about the plans before the full business case is finalised. It is to be held between 1pm and 6pm at the Nevis Centre.
The new plans show the hospital will double surgical capacity with two operating theatres.
When the contractor Balfour Beatty was announced, NHS Highland has said the new hospital will be” a very accessible and easy place to use”.
Louise Bussell, the board’s nurse director and senior officer for the Lochaber redesign told The Herald there would be similarities with other hospitals built by NHS Highland in recent years in Skye and Badenoch and Strathspey.
The health board said the hospital will have capacity to look after patients who require high-dependency care, although there will not be a dedicated unit.
At the moment the Belford hospital has 34 beds and the number for the replacement is still under negotiation.
New hospital will offer place of safety
The board has said the new Belford will not have a permanent MRI scanner that operates 24-hours a day.
Ms Bussell said the new hospital would add a rehab unit, linked to community services, something medics have long argued for as well as a “place of safety” for patients with acute mental health problems.
She said the new hospital would also have capacity for end-of-life care
While the number of parking spaces at the new site on An Aird, was still under discussion, there are plans to add a new bus route.
She said a recruitment campaign would take place ahead of the building project to address the challenge of attracting medics to rural areas.
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