The new acute hospital for Forth Valley, Scotland, is a state-of-the art hospital providing modern, high quality services to a large part of central Scotland. It has been delivered, and is operated, by Forth Health Ltd on behalf of the NHS Forth Valley Health Board.The new hospital centralises acute healthcare and mental health services on one site and the two hospitals, in Stirling and Falkirk, which it replaces will become Community Hospitals as part of the Board’s new integrated model of care.
The new-build hospital – with a floor area of some 95,115 sqm - provides 860 beds and day patient spaces and associated services on a brown field site in the current ownership of the NHS. The site is exceptional, in a largely parkland setting, extending to approximately 130 hectares with open views to the surrounding countryside; around 60 hectares have been utilised for the new hospital and its immediate grounds
The new hospital provides the full range of services associated with a large district general hospital, including A&E; Trauma and Orthopaedics; General Medicine and General Surgery; specialist vascular, ENT, urology and ophthalmology services; a women’s and children’s hospital; and a mental health unit.
All three phases of the hospital have been completed on time with the first phase, completed in 2010, providing operating theatres, oncology, outpatients, imaging and pharmacy, and some 60 percent of the ward spaces. Phase 2, also completed in 2010, provides a mental health facility. The final phase, comprising health services for women and children, A&E and acute services, achieved construction completion in April 2011 and became fully operational on the 11 July 2011 following an official opening by Her Majesty the Queen on the 6th July.
A full range of facilities management services are being provided to the hospital, including maintenance of the estate, grounds and gardens, a helpdesk and security and car park management.The facilities management services supports the design philosophy by providing efficient, discreet services and enhancing the patient experience by providing fresh food, cooked on site, and chosen by the patient. A robotic goods delivery system – the first in the UK – works out of sight in dedicated routes and lifts, to deliver supplies and remove waste, making the wards and public spaces calm and uncluttered places. There are further robotic services for pharmacy dispensing and theatre cleaning.
John Laing leads and manages the project team, and invests equity in its financing. The Design & Build contractor is Laing O’Rourke, and FM services are provided by Serco.
