Big turnout for new Belford workshop
Lochaber people showed their commitment to shaping the future of the area’s health and social care at a well-attended workshop in Fort William last Thursday.
The event, run by an external healthcare planner, was held to formally make the strategic case to replace the Belford Hospital with a new rural general hospital on the Blar Mhor site.
Some 100 representatives from local communities, members of the public, voluntary and third sector organisations, elected representatives and NHS Highland staff attended the event at the Nevis Centre.
Chief officer for Highland Health and Social Care Partnership David Park said he was pleased to have a cross-section of views at the workshop.
There were presentations on NHS Highland’s perspective on the case for change with the ageing population, workforce challenges and the fact the Belford Hospital building is now holding back progress.
During the day, there was thoughtful debate which was generally positive.
Among the concerns was disappointment there is still not a site layout plan. Transport congestion on the A82 and recruitment challenges were recurring themes.
NHS Highland’s senior charge nurse (theatres) at the Belford Hospital, Pauline Yeung, said: ‘It is of little surprise there was such interest in this event as the people of Lochaber care deeply about the Belford Hospital and local health and social care. It was wonderful to see such partnership working at this stage of the process and this will be a key element of shaping the future of the replacement Belford Hospital and wider health and social care services in Lochaber.’
NHS Highland’s head of public relations and engagement, Maimie Thompson, explained the next step would be to draft and share the strategic assessment document before finalising it and submitting it to the Scottish Government. NHS Highland hopes to do this over the next few weeks.
Ms Thompson also commented that, with all the discussions around recruitment, staff retention is important.