A brand new health centre was officially opened in a Loch Ness-side village yesterday.
The £1.5million Drumnadrcohit Health Centre is located just off the A82 Inverness-Fort William road, just a few yards from the ageing and cramped health centre it has replaced.
Plans are also in the pipeline for the private development of a dental practice and pharmacy, as well as a new roundabout that will service the health centre site and a proposed new housing development.
The newly built complex has five GP consulting rooms, a dedicated nurse and healthcare assistant consulting room and two treatment rooms. It also has as a facility for local first responders and a hot-desking office for use by visiting health and social care workers.
Crucially, the building has brought health and social care professionals under one roof, as previously it was not possible to house community and psychiatric nurses, podiatrists and social workers together.
New services will also be shortly arriving at the centre, including a monthly psychiatric clinic.
The new complex was designed after work by NHS Highland and a community group, made up of members of the community council, GPs, local councillors and representatives from social services.
Heather Cameron, NHS Highland’s project manager during the centre’s design and construction, said: “We wanted to create a building that will stand the test of time, which is why it was designed with a view to possible expansion if that was needed in the future.
“But, for now, we have something that’s more than just a modern health centre, it’s one that can meet a variety of community needs.”
General practitioner Dr Duncan Thom, who has been with the Drumnadrochit practice for 16 years, said the new centre will make a huge difference to both staff and patients.
He added: “We have four GPs, a practice nurse, a healthcare assistant and four admin staff and I know it can’t have been great for staff morale to come to work in a health centre housed in an old and cramped building and a couple of modular cabins.
“But I’m sure it hasn’t been great for our patients either. They won’t have appreciated having to come to a health centre that’s so uninviting.”
The Drumnadrochit development is the latest in a series of major projects by NHS Highland.
They have included the provision of a £1.3million health centre at Broadford on Skye, a £4million replacement health centre in Tain and the £1.5million redevelopment of Dingwall health centre.