A topping out ceremony was held yesterday at the new Stirling Care Village and saw the final solar panels slotted into place on the roof of the new Primary and Urgent Care Centre. The Centre will provide more modern, spacious accommodation for a number of existing health services include Minor Injuries services, X-ray facilities and GP out-of-hours services. It will also house a number of local GP practices, which are relocating to the centre.

Also being built in the grounds of Stirling Community Hospital, is a new Care Hub with more than 100 beds to provide short-term care, assessment or rehabilitation to older people who require additional support following an illness or operation. A comfortable, homely environment will help older people recover, regain their independence and, in the majority of cases, return to their own homes.

The new Stirling Care Village is a £35m development, which is a joint venture between Stirling Council, NHS Forth Valley and the Scottish Ambulance Service, who plan to re-locate their existing ambulance station there from the Riverside area of the city. Forth Valley College is also keen to explore opportunities to offer local young people who are considering a career in the health and care sector, a range of training and volunteering opportunities within the new Care Village.

The Care Village will also support the integration of local health and social care services, making it easier for staff to work together to deliver better co-ordinated, more joined up care to local people – a key aim of the Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership.

Robertson Construction are the main contractors and the project is being developed through hub East Central Scotland (a joint partnership between public and private sector organisations aimed at developing and delivering better local services across East Central Scotland). The majority of facilities are expected to be completed by autumn 2018 with the ambulance station and final site works completed by autumn 2019.

Alex Linkston, Chairman of NHS Forth Valley said: “I am delighted that construction work on this important new facility is progressing well. A lot of detailed planning has taken place over the last few months to reach this important milestone and it is exciting to see the new Primary and Urgent Care Centre take shape.”

Commenting, Bruce Crawford MSP for Stirling said: “I was delighted to attend the topping out ceremony for the new Primary and Urgent Care Centre. This will be home to a number of GP surgeries along with Minor Injuries and X-ray facilities and will be a major component to the overall Care Village development.

“I look forward to the further developments of this site, piecing together the future of quality care and health services in the Stirling area.”

 Stirling Council Leader Scott Farmer said: “It was wonderful to be present at the topping out ceremony for the new Primary and Urgent Care Centre, and to see how this fantastic facility will utilise some of the latest building technology to provide excellent accommodation for a range of health services.

“The Care Village is an important and big step forward in delivering health care for the Stirling area. It is vital that we invest now on a service fit for the future, and the Care Village will ensure that the best care is provided for our residents.”

Area Service Manager for the Scottish Ambulance Service, Neil Gillies said: “The new ambulance facility in the Stirling Care Village is part of our strategy to upgrade stations to better meet the needs of staff and patients. The station will be well positioned to serve the local community and provides excellent facilities for staff.”

Gary Bushnell, Chief Executive, hub East Central Scotland said: “The project is making excellent progress and we continue to work closely with all of the partners, to manage its successful delivery on time and on budget.”