Construction work continues apace on new and improved health facilities across Scotland.

During this year's spending review it was confirmed over £2 billion will be invested on improving NHS infrastructure over the next three years.

Work is now underway on the following projects:

Glasgow's New Southern General - £842 million is being invested over a six year period beginning in 2010. As well as providing groundbreaking clinical care, it will provide a single site for a 1,109 bed adult and 256 bed children's hospital integrating maternity, paediatric and acute services on a single campus

Bonar Bridge Community Hospital - £14.3 million is being invested in the facility which will replace out of date Victorian facilities with a new 22 bed community hospital for elderly care and GP services

Edinburgh's Royal Victoria Hospital - £43.6 million is being invested in the facility which is on course to provide medicine for the elderly, psychiatry for older people and an adult mental health day unit by 2012

£42.9 million is being invested to re-align Fife's trauma, critical care and specialist inpatient services at Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital. There will also be further developments of facilities at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline over the next three years

£110 million is being invested in 30,837 square meters of additional internal space over 10 storeys at Aberdeen's Emergency Care Centre at Foresterhill and will form the major plank in the modernisation of services and facilities at the site from 2013 onwards. £16 million is also being spent on an innovative energy centre on the site


£27.2 million of investment in a new 85 bed acute mental health facility in Dumfries and Galloway

£750 million delivered through the NPD pipeline will also fund health projects. Major projects seeking approval through NPD include North Ayrshire Community Hospital, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, the Balfour Hospital in Orkney and the rationalisation of five Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service properties in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

And as confirmed just last month £200 million of the cash will support community based health facilities delivered through the hub initiative.

Community projects currently being explored include health centres in Galashiels, Lauder Dunscore, Dalbeattie, Glenwood, the Gorbals, Maryhill, Clarkston, Woodside, Tain, East Kilbride, Kilsyth, Wishaw, Scalloway and Bridge of Earn, the Aberdeen Health Village, the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Stirling Community Hospital, St Brendan's Hospital on the Western Isles, Angus Dental Facility and East Lothian Community Hospital.

Work recently started on the first ever health hub initiative project - the £12 million Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre in Edinburgh.

As part of the Government's investment programme work is underway to plan for the maintenance requirements in the NHS estate and make sure that all buildings are kept up to standard. A more detailed inventory of NHS assets and risk assessed backlog maintenance across NHSScotland has been developed to ensure that resources are properly targeted by NHS Boards.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "As I have said time and time again investment in health is a top priority for the Scottish Government and the continued delivery of our plans to improve capital infrastructure demonstrates the depth of our commitment to the NHS in Scotland.

"More sustainable, high quality and continually improving health services as close to home as possible is what the people of Scotland want, and that is something this government is determined to give them.

"Infrastructure investment across government will be 25 per cent higher in 2014-15 than in 2011-12, supporting jobs and stimulating growth in line with our economic strategy. Health projects, which will form a key strand of this work, will not only help Scotland's economy but also ensure both staff and patients can work and be treated in the best possible surroundings."

(GK)