And as it prepares to move to the new hospital, work is underway to replace the region’s maternity centre with a new fit-for-purpose amenity to house renal, ophthalmology, rehabilitation services and a range of health professionals.
Clinical teams, together with managers and external advisors including construction, architectural, legal and financial partners, are working to transform the existing building into a fully-equipped space for the 21st century.
Speaking to staff, finance director Katy Lewis said: “We are at a critical stage for the development of Cresswell and it is our aim to create an inspiring facility that is integral to the delivery of the acute services redevelopment programme.
“There are a number of things that we need to work through to achieve this, including a full business case which will be submitted to the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Directorate.”
General manager David Bryson added: “There are a lot of decisions still to be made around managing this safe transition of services and staff into the new Cresswell building and how services will be maintained in the interim period.
“We have very challenging but deliverable timescales ahead of us and are being transparent in what we are doing.
“We want to get this right, and create a first class building that delivers first class care that is fit-for-purpose for our staff and patients.”
The new style building is expected to be operational by December 2019.
