Belford Hospital Campaign Highlights Problems For All Awaited New Medical Facilities In Highland

15th March 2024

It takes an interminable amount of time for communities waiting on new medical facilities.

Caithness awaits new hubs in Thurso and Wick with the redesign of Caithness General also now on hold.

The Scottish Government issued instruction to stop all capital building projects.

Now a campaign group in Fort Willaim are organising a march and demo tomorrow Saturday 16 March.

The 'Back the Belford build' rally and march, campaigning for work on a new Belford hospital in Caol to resume, starts at 11am on Saturday March 16 at The Parade in Fort William, overlooking the current Belford Hospital which opened in 1964.
Read the full story at West Coast Today

Caithness Maternity services are still not what the community wants and another two years at least will now pass due to the hold on capital spending.

Also highlighted in the West Coast today article is the fact that Highland council stepped in a few years ago to buy the Blar Mhor site for NHS Highland who did not have the cash to buy it from TESCO who put the site up for sale a few years ago. The deal was that NHS Highland would pay back that cash when money became available for the new Belford Hospital. So capital from the council is tied up making things tighter for council builds.

A two year halt to building projects may turn out to be even longer as there are few predictions of government finances improving in the short term.

Good luck to the Belford Campaign group on Saturday and look out for CHAT on Caithness issues.