Aberdeen Royal infirmary, proir to new childrens ward being built.New care centre planned for city
NHS Grampian hopes the centre will improve patient care
Plans for an £83m emergency care centre in Aberdeen have moved a step closer.
The NHS Grampian board has approved outline proposals to relocate key frontline health services onto the main Foresterhill site.
Accident and emergency, the Gmed out-of-hours service, part of NHS 24, mental health and hyperbaric services are among those which would move.
It would also provide about 250 extra beds, many being single rooms to minimise the risk of infection spread.
It is hoped the new centre will provide patients with earlier diagnosis, less waiting and shorter stays.
The three year project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
The Scottish Government approved the initial agreement in March, paving the way for the board to proceed to the outline business case stage.
This is magnificent news for the whole of the North East of Scotland who will benefit from a better delivery of health care services.
First Aberdeen would also like to highlight the importance, of having more single bed units to cut down the spread of infection especially as we are now seeing a rise in such damaging contagious diseases such as TB. We would like to think that the 250 beds were not a preemptive measure as to expected rises in infections, but more of a genuine effort to reduce diseases like MRSA and TB.
This is a positive plan that will hopefully reduce some of the fear that was started when it was suggested that some front line medical services would be relocated to the central belt.
