en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Scottish Government has decided to redesign the Monklands Hospital construction plan, based on an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of the current £2.1 billion project, which was deemed not to represent value for money. The government stated that it will still proceed with the construction of the facility, located on the Wester Moffat site in Airdrie, with the original goal of making it Scotland's first fully digital and net-zero emissions healthcare facility.

The comprehensive redesign of the Monklands Replacement Programme will be carried out jointly by the Scottish Government, NHS Lanarkshire, and their partners. The updated plan is expected to be submitted to ministerial officials for a decision in 2027. While the redesign work progresses, the government will make targeted investments in the existing Monklands Hospital to address the operational pressures on its infrastructure.

Scottish Government Health Secretary Angela Constance stated that this decision is disappointing for staff and communities who have been involved in the planning over the long term. However, given the current fiscal environment, she could not approve the full business case submitted by NHS Lanarkshire in its current form. She noted that the construction cost of the current Monklands plan is significantly higher than similar projects, and proceeding as originally planned would mean an unprecedented concentration of capital investment on a single healthcare project, with an estimated cost of around £5 million per bed. Constance emphasized that the government remains fully committed to building a new hospital in Monklands, and the necessary redesign work will be completed quickly to enable a decision as early as 2027. Meanwhile, urgent targeted investments will be made in the existing hospital to help staff address the current infrastructure challenges.

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