Hospital Building Programme (Hansard, 16 November 1959)

§ Mr. Maclay

Yes. Capital expenditure on hospital building in Scotland, subject to Parliament voting the necessary funds, will be of the order of £3.298W million in 1960–61 and £3.9 million in 1961–62. While the actual level of capital expenditure in the succeeding years cannot yet be determined, I am asking the regional hospital boards concerned to complete plans for the following major projects:

(1) At the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, a new out-patient department and casualty accommodation and other specialised facilities. This will be the first stage of the reconstruction of the hospital, and will probably also include some new in-patient accommodation designed to facilitate the next stage of the reconstruction.
(2) At the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, a new out-patient and casualty department, the first stage in the reconstruction of the old part of this hospital.
(3) At the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, a new out-patient and casualty department together with in-patient accommodation for casualties and orthopaedic patients. This again is the first stage of a major reconstruction.
(4) At Glasgow Royal Infirmary, new specialised facilities for treatment and research. new accommodation for some of the professorial departments, and a new ophthalmological department.
(5) A new unit at Foresterhill, Aberdeen, beside the existing hospitals there, which will contain mainly additional surgical beds and operating theatres.

I hope that it will be possible to complete the detailed planning of these projects in time for building to start by 1962 or 1963.

These projects, together with the proposed new teaching hospital at Dundee the plans for which are now being prepared, are designed to provide a radical improvement and extension of the facilities available in the main Scottish teaching hospitals. Other projects in non-teaching hospitals are also being considered.