23 March 2017

Ceremony marks beginning of construction on Inverurie Health and Social Care Hub

A special ceremony took place earlier today to formally mark the beginning of construction on Inverurie Health and Social Care Hub.
 
The first turf on the state of the art, £14.6 million health facility was cut by patient representatives Margaret Harrow and Bert Hosie alongside NHS Grampian Chairman Professor Stephen Logan, in what is being described as a ‘landmark’ moment for health care in the area.
 
NHS Grampian said the surgery 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.
 
Inverurie, already labelled one of Scotland’s fastest growing town, is predicted to continue developing and the new facility is designed to accommodate an estimated 30,000 patients by 2023.
 
At almost 4,000 m2, the 2-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.
 
Chairman of NHS Grampian Professor Stephen 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 said: “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.”
 
Professor Logan continued: “Crucially the new building will allow us to introduce a variety of additional or enhanced services in Inverurie that previously patients would have had to travel to Aberdeen or elsewhere to receive.
 
“Radiology is prime example of that but there are a host of others ranging from the new birth unit, audiology, physio and speech therapy to the opportunities we will now have to host visiting consultants and clinics.”
 
Professor Logan also said new dental services at the facility would help complement independent General Dental Practices in the Inverurie area by offering specialist treatments that were previously only available further afield.
 
Chief Officer for Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, Adam Coldwells, said: “We are delighted that the new health and social care hub is now formally underway. We have close links across the health and social care spectrum in Aberdeenshire so I’m really pleased with the opportunities the new facility will offer to further build on and strengthen those ties.
 
"In this era of tight budgets, a project of this scale isn’t easy to deliver either financially or logistically. This level of investment is a further demonstration of our continued commitment to building for the future of health and social care in our area and we are proud that we will now have one of the finest integrated health facilities in Scotland.”
Kevin Hewitt, Interim Chief Executive of hub North Scotland, said: “hub North Scotland is delighted to be delivering this project along with our contractors Morrison Construction and Robertson FM. We are looking forward to continued partnership working with NHS Grampian and other key stakeholders to provide state of the art facilities for the community they will serve.”

The new Health and Social Care Hub will comprise:
· 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);
 · Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership Admin Team.
 
 A 3D video flyover of the proposed new facility is available on the NHS Grampian youtube channel https://youtu.be/xnmI8hrDOOc