Turf cutting marks start of construction work
The £15 million project for the new Badenoch & Strathspey Community Hospital reached a landmark today with a turf cutting ceremony on the site in Aviemore.
A large turnout from the local community attended the event to mark the start of construction work on the project, which is being delivered by hub North Scotland on behalf of NHS Highland.
They were welcomed by the interim chairman of NHS Highland, Boyd Robertson, before the ceremony was carried out by Celia Bloomfield of the Friends of the Ian Charles Hospital in Grantown, Lucy Jones from Aviemore primary school and Sheena Slimon from the Friends of St Vincent’s Hospital in Kingussie.
Main contractor for the project is Balfour Beatty and the new facility will have 24-beds, the Aviemore Medical Practice, X-ray facilities, a Scottish Ambulance Service base, out-patient facilities and community health and care teams.
It will be completed in 2021 and as part of the redesign of community services, the hospitals in Grantown and Kingussie will be closing.