Raigmore Hospital's maternity and Special Baby Care Unit in line for refurbishment after health board secures funding
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The health boards serving Highland and Grampian have secured a further £2.4 million from the Scottish Government for maternity and neonatal refurbishment as part of improvements to regional services.
The funding will allow refurbishment and redesign of the maternity and Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) facilities at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
It follows on from the recent announcement of £800,000 in new capital funding for NHS Highland to upgrade key facilities at Caithness General Hospital in Wick.
Welcoming the latest funding package from the Scottish Government, NHS Highland’s board nurse director Heidi May said: “This will facilitate greater choice for women who wish to deliver at Raigmore Hospital by increasing capacity both in maternity and neonatal services.
"It is also a key part of improved regional service planning across Highland and Grampian health board areas.”
NHS Grampian’s nurse director Dr Caroline Hiscox said: “This financial boost cements our commitment to invest in maternity services in the north of Scotland.
"This is a key part of improving our service planning across Highland and Grampian. We welcome the commitment from the Scottish Government to support our regional working."
Earlier this month it was announced that construction work would be starting soon on an extended accident and emergency department and a redesigned, "state-of-the-art" maternity unit at Caithness General Hospital following the £800,000 capital funding award.
NHS Highland said it represented the first stages of an agreed development plan for the hospital site. The health board said it will provide a stand-alone, purpose-built community midwifery unit and develop the current facilities at the A&E department.
