NHS Scotland building delay: Is my local hospital affected? Hospitals in Edinburgh, the Highlands and Aberdeen impacted

Around a dozen NHS buildings are being put on hold for at least two years as government money runs out. The Scotsman takes a look at exactly which buildings will be impacted

Plans to build a dozen new NHS hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres have been delayed for at least two years.

The Scottish Government says there is no money available for the countless building projects that had been planned, including a network of ten national treatment centres.

This is affecting projects all across Scotland, from the heart of Edinburgh to the most remote northerly parts of the Highlands. We take a look at exactly what building projects are going to be impacted by these delays in each of Scotland’s health board areas.

Replacing Monklands Hospital in Airdrie is one of the building projects being paused. Image: Clare Grant/National World.

NHS Lothian

• New cancer centre in Edinburgh
• New eye hospital in Edinburgh
• National treatment centre in Livingston

NHS Highland

• Replacement hospital in Fort William
• Upgrading Caithness General Hospital
• Upgrading the maternity unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness
• Relocating two GP practices to Cowal Community Hospital in Dunoon

NHS Lanarkshire

• Replacing Monklands Hospital in Airdrie
• National treatment centre in Cumbernauld

NHS Grampian

• National treatment centre in Aberdeen
• MRI scanner for Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin
• Refurbishment of mental health ward at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin

NHS Ayrshire and Arran

• National treatment centre at Carrick Glen Hospital in Ayr

NHS Tayside

• National treatment centre at Perth Royal Infirmary

Speaking to BBC Good Morning Scotland, Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of the British Medical Association Scotland, said: “We have been saying for some time that the NHS in Scotland does not have the resources to be sustainable in the future.”

He said too many hospitals were “getting a bit crumbly” and warned waiting lists were only going to get longer. Dr Kennedy also warned the health service needed to remain “free at the point of delivery”, but also needed to modernise.

“We can’t have a free buffet for all, where it is an all-you-can-eat buffet,” he said. “We definitely need to prioritise and say what we will provide and what we won’t provide.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said the capital funding position was “extremely challenging”.

“The UK government did not inflation-proof its capital budget, which has resulted in nearly a 10 per cent real-terms cut in the Scottish Government’s capital funding over the medium-term between 2023/24 and 2027/28,” the spokeswoman said.

“Our emphasis for the immediate future will be on addressing backlog maintenance and essential equipment replacement. As a result of the cut in our capital budget, a revised infrastructure investment plan will be published in the spring and all due consideration will be given to what projects can be included within that revised plan.”

The Scottish Government is expected to unveil its revised buildings plan in the spring.