Work has started on Inverurie’s new £14.6 million health facility, and it has been marked with a ceremonial cutting of the first turf.
The state-of-the-art Inverurie Heath and Social Care Hub will feature 38 consulting rooms, almost double that of the current GP Practice, and initially serve more than 21,000 patients – making it the largest single health centre of its kind in the country.
NHS Grampian it will continue developing and the new facility to accommodate an estimated 30,000 patients by 2023.
At almost 4,000 m2, the two-storey building will include GP and community health facilities, a public dental surgery and a community maternity unit. It will also have diagnostic and treatment services such as X-ray and cardiology and provide outpatient facilities for a range of other specialities.
The turf was cut by NHS Grampian chairman Professor Stephen Logan alongside patient representatives Margaret Harrow and Bert Hosie.
Professor Logan said: “We are absolutely delighted that work is now underway. This marks a new era for health care in our area and it’s a moment that many people have worked tirelessly to make happen.
“We are grateful to all of them and to local people for the patience and support on what has been a complex project.”
Project Director for NHS Grampian Stan Mathieson added: “The growth of Inverurie over the last ten years or so has been almost unrivalled anywhere in the country which presents us with the challenge of ensuring that health care provision keeps pace with that.
“The new health and social care hub should allow us to do that for many years to come. From the outset this project has been about than simply providing a new building. It’s been designed in close conjunction with local people to ensure that the healthcare needs of patients – whether now or in the future – are at its very core.”
The new Health and Social Care Hub will comprise of Inverurie Medical Group, Community Nursing Team, Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting), Urie Dental Practice, Radiology unit, Allied Health Professionals, Cardiology, Audiology and Outpatient Accommodation, Community Maternity Unit (CMU) and Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership Admin Team.
