The £170 million extension at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital is taking shape, with work continuing inside and outside the building.
The wing due to open in 2012 will house accident and emergency department, maternity and children’s services and specialist surgical and medical wards.
Undertaken by Consort, Balfour Beatty’s specialist public-private partnership (PPP), the extension is the largest building programme in Fife and the largest healthcare project in the east of Scotland.
NHS Fife projects director Dennis O’Keefe said, “There is a great deal of activity going on inside the building, particularly on the lower levels. On the ground-floor section of the building we are installing the door frames and architraves and some of the vinyl floor coverings.”
An access route will be created through the site, including bus provision to and from the building, and an energy centre is being built to house biomass boilers to provide all the energy for the hospital.
Mr O’Keefe said, “Trials of the plant are ongoing and are progressing well and we will shortly be able to switch to the electricity system.”
The projects director added other non-PPP work was also ongoing, including provision of a new service yard required to meet increases in logistical and other supplies when the new wing opens.
Designs are also moving for a new laboratory, an upgrade to the data centre and additional parking.
Mr O’Keefe said, “We have 600 workers on site without any major health and safety incident, and we are also ensuring the whole project is completed with all planning conditions satisfied.”
NHS Fife vice-chairman Graeme Watson said the building “can’t come soon enough, because we need to do this to sustain our services for the future. The sooner it happens the better in terms of service provision.”
Under Right For Fife signed in 2003, once the extension is open Victoria Hospital will house most of the region’s acute inpatient services plus maternity, while Queen Margaret in Dunfermline will mainly be for outpatients.