New images of a £56 million hospital planned for Aberdeen have been released as the proposals take another step forward.
NHS Grampian’s new elective care centre will be based at Foresterhill and sit near the main entrance of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
It has been designed as a “one-stop shop” for respiratory, dermatology and urology patients, increasing the number of people who can be seen by specialists or who require an endoscopy or minor surgery.
The NHS Grampian board has now approved additional spending of up to £1 million for changes that may be needed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
It will use the funds to consider if the clinical scope of the project needs to be altered, and also allow for an assessment on how Covid-19 may impact the building process.
These costs will be covered by the Scottish Government, which had pledged an investment of up to £5 million to cover any pre-construction costs.
So far the health board has used £3.9 million of this allocation.
Gary Mortimer, NHS Grampian’s operational delivery director, said: “The elective care plans are about more than a new building – we want to completely rethink the way we deliver care.
“Treatment should be provided as close to home as possible and where people have to come to hospital we want that experience to be as efficient as it can be.
“These plans were well underway prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“However, as we try to understand how we best deliver healthcare while managing the challenges of a pandemic, this development has even more relevance and resonance.”
New artist’s impressions of the building have been released, showing striking panels in various shades of the health service’s signature blue affixed to the outside.
The illustrations also reveal that patients will be able to enter via wide walkway lined with daffodils.
A final design proposal for the facility is expected to go before the NHS Grampian board in autumn.
Alongside the new elective care centre, health chiefs are preparing to invest in MRI and CT scanning facilities, including at Dr Gray’s in Elgin.
Finance director Alan Gray said: “The board’s approval of funding for the next stage of the project means we can continue to make progress on what is a vital development for people in the north-east.
“It is hoped we can present a full business case for approval by the board in October 2020.”
