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£30.3m NHS investment in Highland
22/08/2012
£30.3 million is being invested in improving NHS facilities in Highland over the next three years.
Scottish Government funding has enabled patients in the Highland area to benefit from a new £8.3m Migdale community hospital in Bonar Bridge, Sutherland.
The area is also benefitting from almost £15 million investment in projects identified for delivery through revenue funding via the hub initiative.
These include the new £5 million Tain Health Centre and the £9.5 million Argyll and Bute Mental Health Unit at Lochgilphead.
The investment has been highlighted to coincide with a visit by Public Health Minister Michael Matheson to the new Migdale hospital today (Wednesday).
Mr Matheson also visited the new linear accelerator at Raigmore Hospital and the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Resource Centre in Inverness.
Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson said:
"Having the right facilities in the right place is important to people across Scotland and that is why we are determined to ensure both staff and patients the length and breadth of the country can work and be treated in the best possible surroundings.
"This significant investment in health building projects clearly sets out the strength of our commitment to the NHS in Scotland, and will mean that we can provide more sustainable, high quality and continually improving health care services close to home in Highland and across the country."
Garry Coutts, Chair for NHS Highland, said:
"I am delighted that the Minister will be formally opening Migdale Hospital today. This is a fantastic facility for our patients and staff.
"There will also be a number of other capital projects taking place across Highland in the next few years. However, clearly we are entering into times where capital monies are very hard to come by. We need to make sure we involve our service users, patients and staff to make best use of the resources being made available to us.
"It is also really important to see these developments in the context of our wider delivery of services. We are working hard towards delivering more care at home and in the community as well as increasing our use of telehealth. Highland is also working towards fully integrating health and social care services being provided in the area."
Further Information:
NHS Highland’s Capital Resource Limit for 2012-13 and indicative Capital Resource Limits for 2013-14 and 2014-15 are £8.286m, £12.563m and £9.498m respectively.
The new 22 bed hospital Migdale Hospital has improved inpatient facilities in two units – one for elderly mental health and another with GP-led beds.
The new building is heated by biomass which makes it more energy efficient and economical to run, with around 70 per cent of the energy requirements coming from a biomass boiler.
The new £1.8m high energy linear accelerator at Raigmore Hospital is providing radiation therapy for patients across the north of Scotland
The hospital is one of five cancer centres in Scotland and the department serves a population of approximately 260,000 in the Highland, Western Isles and the western part of Grampian. It currently treats in excess of 900 new patients per year.
The new Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Unit in Inverness opened on 8 August 2012 and offers advice and support for people with dementia, their families and carers, while also promoting early diagnostic care and support.