“Unfit for purpose” hospital requires urgent replacement 28/7/11
Islanders are anxious about the slow pace of replacing the crumbling St Brendan’s hospital.
Western Isles NHS promises to modernise facility at Castlebay after the present building was deemed as unfit for purpose and “completely unacceptable” for modern standards.
Health chiefs say the clinical conditions are “wholly inadequate.”
MP Angus Macneil is inviting health and council chiefs, Gordon Jamieson Malcolm Burr meet islanders over the matter.
Both authority bosses were at a public forum in Barra two years ago when it was agreed areplacement hospital was urgently required.
Mr Macneil said: “Since then the assurances that were made at that meeting have run out, and we need new and more up to date information from both these organisations regarding their future plans for the hospital.”
Alasdair Allan MSP met with Gordon Jamieson to urged him to progress the plans.
Mr Allan commented: “The need for a new hospital in Barra is only too obvious, despite the sterling efforts of its staff to cope with the limitations of the present building.
“It was clear from what Mr Jamieson said that the board have now confined themselves largely to options which involve building on land on Barra already owned by them.
“There is now, I hope, a willingness to accept that the pace of decision making on this issue has to be set by the urgent needs of the hospital itself, rather than trying to square the circle of the issues around the part of the building housing the Comhairle's residential home. This part of the building is not owned by the NHS.”
Five years ago, inspections reports highlighted the poor infection control and sub-
The health board has commissioned a £40,000 feasibility study which should outline if the best option is to upgrade the existing building or constructed a new hospital either with or without an attached care home or GP surgery. The Comhairle shared the cost of the study.
An in-