"Now let's get going": Budget breathes life back into new hospital

People in Lochaber have been campaigning for a new hospital for more than 20 years, and hundreds of people took part in a 700-strong demonstration in March.

 

A replacement for the 60-year-old Belford was first suggested in the 1990s. Work at a site in the Blar Mhor area near Caol was due to begin this year, but the plans were put on hold due to a cut in Scottish Government funding.

 

Setting out the Budget to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday December 4, Finance Secretary Shona Robison said the government had listened and included an increase of £139 million in capital spending power, progressing the Belford Hospital, Monklands Hospital, and Edinburgh Eye Pavilion projects.

 

Now the final stages of design work can proceed, with NHS Highland making the project shovel-ready as soon as possible.

 

Community advocate, John Hutchison, said: “We briefed Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray at the Belford Hospital in October when he encouraged the NHS Highland Board to confirm that its top priority was the Belford. 

 

"We again pressed his request with the NHS Highland Chair and Chief Executive last week, only to be told that they had no mechanism through which they could rank their priority between Caithness Hospital, Raigmore Maternity, the Belford, and the recently added Cowal Community Hospital.”

 

Caol Community Council chairperson, John Gillespie, added: “With the long history of the Belford struggle, we found that extremely frustrating, having expected the board to back us and seize the opportunity being offered by Neil Gray to put one project forward. But I’m pleased that we now have a positive response from the Scottish Government, which gives the leadership needed.”

 

Activist and former Leader of Highland Council, Dr Michael Foxley, said: “It is now nearly 10 years since the purchase of the site for the new hospital, and we have done much detailed work to make the design as good as we could. 

 

"We are utterly delighted that owing to Kate Forbes MSP’s strong effort, experience and collaboration with colleagues, the priority has now been set, with the Belford being named in the Scottish Government’s Budget.”

 

A retired surgeon from the Belford Hospital, David Sedgwick, added: “To have the Belford identified in the Budget now sets the seal on the project and our call to NHS Highland is to press on apace – all doubt has been removed so let’s get going! It’s vital that NHS Highland restarts the planning and building design team immediately.” 

 

Fort William activist Patricia Jordan concluded: “We have a very strong team here in John Gillespie, Michael Foxley, David Sedgwick, and John Hutchison, along with many community stakeholders, and thanks to huge community support in the rally and march, and by writing letters, our collective effort has paid off. We need to keep the pressure on - many thanks to all!"

 

Kate Forbes, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch and the Deputy First Minister, called it "tremendous news". “The people of Lochaber have waited 25 years for a new hospital, since it was first promised in the 90s," she said. 

 

“There is no shortage of support for the project locally, and it is now down to NHS Highland to proceed immediately with further planning and design work.

 

“During his recent visit to Fort William, the Health Secretary Neil Gray acknowledged the need for a new Belford – and he will also be eager to see NHS Highland make rapid progress.

 

“I want to especially thank ‘the Belford gang of five’ – David Sedgwick, Dr Michael Foxley, John Hutchison, Patricia Jordan and John Gillespie for their monumental efforts.

 

“They have met with me more times than I can remember, both in Fort William and at Holyrood, and they deserve special recognition as the prospect of a new Belford hospital now becomes a firm reality.”

 

Angus MacDonald, Lib Dem MP for Inverness, Skye, and West Ross-shire, also welcomed the investment, but said challenges remain.

 

“This is a positive step for Lochaber residents, who have campaigned for decades,” he said. “The 25 per cent uplift in care sector funding over the next 18 months is also welcome, as the Highlands desperately need investment in care home capacity. Additionally, 40 per cent business rates relief for hospitality and retail businesses will be a lifeline for hundreds of local business owners.”

 

However, Mr MacDonald stressed more needs to be done to address ongoing challenges in the region.

 

“The Highlands face pressing issues, from upgrading vital roads like the A82, A96 and A9 to improving emergency care in Portree," he said. "While these announcements are encouraging, the devil will be in the detail. 

 

"We need to be persuaded that these commitments are locked in. We’ve seen them flip-flop before, and communities cannot afford further delays.”

 

He added: “With £3.4 billion of additional UK Government funding and an additional £1.5 billion this financial year for Scotland, there’s a real opportunity to deliver meaningful change for Highland communities.”