Shot in the arm for new hospital

Government approves outline business plan for £6.5 million development including two paediatric theatres and 10-bed ward

Construction of the new £6.5 million children’s hospital at Ninewells in Dundee will begin in July after the Scottish Government approved the outline business case for the project.

The project team will now complete a full business plan and anticipates construction will take a year to complete.

Fundraising for the project has included initiatives such as the Oor Wullie Bucket Trail, Beards for Bairns and the Dundee Santa Dash.

Tayside Children’s Hospital is based at Ninewells Hospital and the new Children’s Theatre Suite will allow a greater number of children to receive their surgery in a specially designed, dedicated children’s facility.

It will consist of two paediatric theatres with associated pre and postoperative areas, including a 10-bed ward area.

The new Children’s Theatre Suite will be located in an area adjacent to the Children’s Medical

Ward (Ward 29) and provide improved integration of paediatric services.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be £6.5 million, with The ARCHIE Foundation charity contributing £2 million.

Scottish Government health secretary Jeane Freeman said: “I am pleased that the Scottish Government has been able to approve the outline business case for this new dedicated children’s theatre suite. I look forward to receiving the full business case next year.”

NHS Tayside chairman John Brown said: “We are extremely pleased that we are now one step closer to starting work on the new children’s theatre suite.

“This dedicated children’s facility will mean many more children will now be cared for in a child-friendly environment which has been designed by putting children at the heart of their care.

“From the earliest stage in the development of this new facility The ARCHIE Foundation charity has committed to supporting this project.

“The charity aims to contribute additional design elements to the new facility which will further enhance our young patients’ and their families’ experience of the Tayside Children’s Hospital.”

David Wood, chief executive of The ARCHIE Foundation, said: “It’s wonderful to see progress being made towards making the Children’s Theatre Suite project a reality.

“As we work in partnership with NHS Tayside on the plans, it’s been so great to learn so much about the difference that the unit will have on children, families and staff and we’re proud to be part of it.”

Earlier this week we broke news of 500 new jobs for the area courtesy of plans to build the Moonraker offshore heavy lift vessel.

Yesterday, it was details of the Tay Cities Deal agreement that made the headlines, with hundreds of millions of pounds of investment set to pour into Courier Country as a result.

Today we are delighted to report yet more good news as we reveal a start date for the brand new £6.5 million children’s hospital at Ninewells in Dundee.

Such positive developments are welcome indeed. The announcement of plans to close the Michelin factory represented a grim start to November for hundreds of local workers.

While recent developments will do little to cheer those most intimately affected by that devastating news, at least it suggests the area has a degree of resilience.

The fate of so many communities naturally aligns with a single enterprise.

The demise of coal mining, for example, has continued to have a lasting and adverse legacy in parts of the country, not least west Fife.

For any area to truly thrive in economic terms it needs to offer not just a wide array of opportunities for employment, but also a sophisticated degree of services.

Adding another string to Ninewells’ not inconsiderable bow will be good news for everybody in Tayside and Fife.