New hospital plan for Lanarkshire to go before ministers

Plans to build a new hospital in Lanarkshire are to go before the Scottish government for approval.

If approved, hospital construction would begin on farmland at Wester Moffat in Airdrie next year, with a targeted opening of 2031.

The new facility would replace the current Monklands hospital in Airdrie, which could be turned into a health and wellbeing village.

NHS Lanarkshire's board approved the business case for the Wester Moffat project, describing it as a "revolutionary blueprint" for healthcare in the region.

Specialist services throughout Lanarkshire will all be based at the hospital, including cancer care, infectious disease medicine, renal (kidney) medicine, urology surgery, and ear, nose and throat surgery.

Martin Hill, chairman of the health board, said: "This is the most important decision by the board in recent memory and marks a significant milestone for the people of Lanarkshire.

"We were impressed by the highly detailed document, which gave us assurance that all aspects of the hospital plans and designs have been thoroughly assessed and that there has been wide engagement with the public and with our staff as development of the design has taken shape."

Colin Lauder, NHS Lanarkshire's executive director for Monklands Replacement & PFI Contracts, said the hospital would become the most advanced in Scotland.

He added that its construction would bring more jobs to the area, while the new site would double the parking provision currently available.

Health officials previously said the new Monklands would become Scotland's first "digital hospital" through its use of technology in patient care.

It would also be the first in Scotland designed from the outset to be fully net zero for both the build and operation phases, meaning it would not contribute to carbon emissions.