Plans for Aberdeen’s new maternity hospital and cancer centre went on public display yesterday.
The latest sketches for the £120million project at Foresterhill were on show at Rosemount Community Centre, where they were broadly welcomed by locals.
The Baird Family Hospital would contain a maternity, gynaecology, breast screening and breast surgery services as well as a neonatal unit, a centre for reproductive medicine, and an operating theatre suite.
The new terraced building is expected to be about 65,616 sq ft and will be linked by a bridge to Royal Aberdeen’s Children’s Hospital. There will also be a regular bus stopping outside for visitors.
It would be situated where the existing Foresterhill Health Centre is, which will be relocated onto the north of the campus.
The ANCHOR Centre will provide day patient appointments and treatments for people with cancer and patients with blood disorders.
Jackie Bremner, project director at NHS Grampian, said it was important to get the public’s views on the proposals, which will be submitted next month.
She said: “We are trying to address how patients, visitors and staff will approach the buildings, proximity to public transport links, car parks, how we can improve the patient experience, and how to make the buildings more efficient to operate clinically and for portering, catering, supplies and stores, and removal of waste.
“We are also keen to improve links with other facilities on site including proximity to ITU, imaging and theatres, and consideration of ambulance routes for patient transport and emergency.”
The health board’s service project manager, Gail Thomson, added: “We already provide a high quality clinical services but it’s important that we have the accommodation to provide these services.”
Professor Jamie Weir, chairman of patient lobby group PACT, welcomed the proposals.
He said: “The two developments will undoubtedly improve patient care, the health board needs to consolidate and make sure the staffing levels are correct but this is undoubtedly a boost.”