Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
GARTCOSH IS TOP OPTION
Monklands Hospital plan
The planned new Monklands Hospital could be located in Gartcosh – after the area’s former steelworks site controversially topped an appraisal of the redevelopment options.
Airdrie politicians Alex Neil MSP and Neil Gray MP have hit out after an assessment panel event concluded that a new hospital should be built on an alternative site instead of the current Monkscourt Avenue location; and then rated Gartcosh higher than the other proposed location in Glenmavis.
The politicians say Gartcosh is not centrally located within the hospital’s catchment area and is poorly served by public transport, and that the prospect of relocating to the area is already proving unpopular with local residents.
NHS Lanarkshire officials say the appraisal panel considered factors ranging from patient safety and healthcare access to journey times and location access – and stress that both a financial report and forthcoming public consultation will also be key factors before any recommendation is put to board members later this year.
Gartcosh has emerged as the leading potential site for a new Monklands Hospital following two NHS Lanarkshire option appraisal events.
A panel comprising patients, carers, public representatives, clinicians and staff representatives rated a new-build hospital at a different location as the best option, ahead of refurbishing or redeveloping the existing Monkscourt Avenue site.
They then assessed the former steelworks at Gartcosh as a better option than an alternative at Glenmavis, the two having been shortlisted from an initial 37 sites.
Airdrie politicians Alex Neil MSP and Neil Gray MP have criticised the top choice, saying it is not “centrally accessible in the Monklands district” and calling for the appraisal to be “re- run in a much more open and participative way”.
Health board officials stress that no decision on the hospital has yet been made, saying: “Before a preferred option can be identified, further work will need to be completed” – including financial analysis and a public consultation which begins next month.
The Ai rdr ie and Sh o t t s parliamentarians have now written to NHS Lanarkshire’s chair and chief executive outlining their concerns, which include “strong opposition from local people”, a lack of public transport, proximity to Glasgow rather than Lanarkshire, and ruling out use of the existing site.
Former health secretary Mr Neil told the Advertiser: “I don’t believe Gartcosh is the right location for a new hospital and don’t believe that will be acceptable to the people of Monklands.
“I was very surprised and very disappointed; I don’t think the impact on the Beatson and the Maggie’s centre have had consideration.
“The lack of good public transport to Gartcosh from towns like Airdrie and its surrounding villages makes it a poor choice to locate a new hospital, and given the levels of poverty and deprivation in the catchment area, it’s a serious concern.
“A new hospital is to serve people in Monklands; it can’t be that they think it’s too far away and inaccessible by public transport.”
He added: “Neil Gray MP and I have written jointly to the health board asking them to reconsider, and I hope they’ll come to their senses. We’ll continue to press for a location that suits the needs of people from our constituency.
“The other locations around the Airdrie and Coatbridge area, including the existing Monklands Hospital site, need to be re-examined as possible options.
“As a former health secretary, I know the importance of this big decision involving a lot of taxpayers’ money – we’ll be spending upwards of £400 million and it’s very permanent, so we need to get it right.”
Mr Gray described the location as “an absolute red line”, saying: “While I welcome a brand new state-of-theart hospital to serve my constituents, I could not support a decision to relocate to Gartcosh.
“Having read the social media comments over the weekend, it appears that many folk from both the Monklands area and Gartcosh are against NHS Lanarkshire’s preferred option. If this is a reflection of greater public opinion, why ignore them?
“NHS Lanarkshire needs to start again. They need to make public the criteria for dismissing other Monklands sites, and they need to be reassessed against the current location which I think would be the most popular choice for the people I represent.”
Coatbridge MSP Fulton MacGregor echoed the call to know more about the wider site selection; while constituency counterpart Hugh Gaffney MP welcomed the choice of Gartcosh from the new location options and says the hospital project could help further develop the area’s infrastructure.
Mr MacGregor MSP said: “We’re just digesting the information, and my approach is going to be carrying out a consultation exercise to see what my constituents think, as I want to be led by them.
“I’ve written to the chief executive to ask how these two sites were picked from the many identified and why the current site was deemed unsuitable. Monklands Hospital is what joins Coatbridge and Airdrie together and the current site is perfectly located to meet the needs of both.
“Between these two options, my preference is Gartcosh – but the scrutiny needs to be around the process, not a contest between two sites that will split the local public in two.”
Mr Gaffney told the Advertiser: “After hearing that Monklands Hospital is likely to be built on an additional site, I was delighted to see that Gartcosh was the preferred option.
“It has good motorway links and the former steelworks would be a good site for a new, modern hospital. I have concerns about the lack of local infrastructure but I’m confident that if the hospital is built, other amenities will be too.
“This new hospital will deliver services and jobs to the area, and I’m glad to see investment in our NHS resulting in a new build. I’ll be talking to people in the constituency to find out their views.”
Monklands project director Graeme Reid said: “Criteria considered during the first stage of the option appraisal included patient safety, clinical effectiveness, access to healthcare, physical environment and flexibility of facilities.
“When locations were looked at, [this] covered journey times, access by road and public transport and the extent to which a site could support hospital centres of excellence and regional services.”
He continued: “NHS Lanarkshire will now produce an in-depth financial analysis, capturing the projected cost of all options to be assessed in conjunction with the non-financial appraisal results. This will inform the selection of a preferred option.
“An engagement process will be held during the summer to ensure the public have the opportunity to further understand the option appraisal process.
“This feedback, with information from the option appraisal and financial assessment, will lead to a formal recommendation to the NHS Lanarkshire board in the autumn.”