Final construction contract approved for new £30m Integrated Mortuary Facility

A new £30m mortuary is to be built for the North East and Northern Isles after a multi-agency agreement has been reached.

Artist impression of what the new mortuary facility will look like when constructed on the Foresterhill Health Campus.

The new premises will provide dignity for the deceased, improved facilities for bereaved families and support growth in the scope and nature of locally provided forensic and educational activity.

Led by Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian, the new facility at the Foresterhill Health Campus will be a comprehensive, multi-purpose mortuary serving the needs of NHS Grampian, University of Aberdeen, the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service, Police Scotland, and Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney, and Shetland Island Councils.

The new two-storey mortuary facility is to be built adjacent to the greenfield site next to Foresterhill Health Clinic and will be an integrated post mortem examination facility and storage for the deceased that will offer mortuary services within a single facility to serve the population of the North-east of Scotland and Northern Isles.

Construction of the new facility by Kier Construction is due to begin in Autumn 2022.

This new structure will also include teaching, learning, and training facilities on the upper floor, provide more privacy and dignity in the bereavement suites, and make the most of natural light opportunities in the clinical, circulation and office space areas.

The design and construction will meet the ambitions of being a net zero carbon facility.

Services housed in this new integrated mortuary will not only guarantee clinical accreditation through compliance with all technical and clinical standards but also deliver an innovative design that will meet the expectations of the bereaved.

Aberdeen City Council Operational Delivery Convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: “It is good to see the collaboration between many organisations across the North East and Northern Isles for a new mortuary which will provide families with a more private and dignified place to visit, a building that is fit for purpose, works for staff, and improves educational facilities.

“We welcome the contribution from the Scottish Government toward the project as the design and construction will meet the ambitions of being a net zero carbon facility as well as being an innovative pathology learning facility in Scotland.”

Professor Rona Patey, Director, Institute of Education in Healthcare and Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen, added: “We are delighted that this project is progressing and look forward to seeing it realise its ambition to provide excellent facilities for staff and relatives, and also students and trainees who will be educated in new, purpose-built spaces.”

NHS Grampian Executive Director of Infrastructure and Sustainability, Paul Allen said: “It is a considerable accomplishment for the design to have been taken forward through this historically unusual period.

"The team is pleased with the development and to be working on such a complex, multi-functional and multi-agency project.

"This has meant putting less pressure on individual agencies by sharing the workload and responsibilities involved in a project of this size.”