Dingwall Ross Memorial Hospital revamp raises hopes for more localised healthcare as NHS Highland signals completion of latest phase
HOPES are high that a revamp of one of Ross-shire’s most iconic hospitals could bolster local health care.
The first phase of the reconfiguration of Ross Memorial Hospital has been completed.
Fire compliance work, which started in October 2024 to ensure the building meets all fire compliance infrastructure, finished last month.
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The work has allowed the co-location of the rheumatology inpatient and general inpatient services to a single ward.
Patients and staff were due to be moved into the new ward this week. It is a 14-bed unit with nine general beds and five rheumatology beds.
The next stage of the reconfiguration will see the current general ward being converted into an outpatient department to accommodate rheumatology infusion service, outpatient consultant, and specialist nursing clinics.
This stage is planned to take five weeks and will be completed in late February.
Kenny Rodgers, district manager for NHS Highland said: “It’s great to see the completion of the first stage of the Ross Memorial reconfiguration delivered through a plan that ensured as little disruption to service as possible.
“I would like to express my thanks to our staff for their hard work during this time and to our patients and their families for their patience while this work was being carried out.”
Pamela Stott, chief officer for NHS Highland, said: “The reconfiguration of Ross Memorial Hospital is a key development to ensure that people can access services and receive care closer to home. I would also like to thank Keir Construction for undertaking the works and working collaboratively with us to deliver a construction programme on a live hospital site. I am looking forward to the second phase being progressed to completion.”
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The project had earlier been supported by Dingwall-based local MSP Kate Forbes.
She said: “I would like to see the hospital take on more local and regional outpatient services from Raigmore to reduce some of the pressures in Inverness and enhance local access to services.
“This would build on the existing range of outpatient services delivered on the Ross Memorial Hospital campus.”
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