Families have been left devastated after it emerged a memorial wall bearing the names of their loved ones in the grounds of an Angus health centre has been demolished.
The wall was part of a feature at the entrance to the Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre in Forfar.
When the centre opened in April 2005 on the site of the former Whitehills Hospital, residents were invited to ‘sponsor’ a brick bearing names of people with a connection to the former health facility, which also housed the Whitehills Maternity Unit.
One concerned grandparent, who did not wish to be named, said: “We duly did this with the name of our first grandchild who was born in the former Whitehills Maternity Unit.
“The bricks were laid to the right of the main entrance and was a pleasing feature but, over time through lack of maintenance, some of the bricks deteriorated.
“The place is now slabbed over. It would have been nice if it was noted this was happening and give anyone who wanted to have their brick a chance to collect it.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “The named brick feature at Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre gave local people the opportunity to have their name or that of a family member engraved on a brick outside the entrance to the hospital.
“Unfortunately the bricks supplied for this project were not of suitable quality and deteriorated rapidly, despite the best efforts of our site management company Robertson Facilities Management.
“Many of the bricks were replaced by the company who did the initial engraving but these also broke down and so the bricks had to be removed as they were becoming a trip hazard.
“The area was re-laid with slabs and unfortunately none of the bricks could be removed intact.”
The spokesperson said NHS Tayside was “disappointed” with the outcome and apologised to everyone who sponsored a brick.
She continued: “In order to ensure the sponsorship continues to be recognised, we are currently in discussions with Robertson to produce a graphic representation of all the named bricks which can be framed and displayed at the hospital.”
The purpose-built Whitehills HCCC provides a range of health, social work and voluntary services, including the Strathmore Hospice.
It incorporated services previously provided at Whitehills Hospital and Forfar Infirmary.
