Construction starts on Fife’s state of the art £33m elective orthopaedic centre

It is the largest capital project HS Fife has undertaken since the opening of the new wing of the Vic in 2012, and will take around 18 months to complete.

Planning permission was granted earlier this year and ground has now been broken on the new build which will be situated opposite accident and emergency on what is currently Car Park H.

Upon completion, it will give Fife a state-of-the-art facility hosting three operating theatres, a supporting inpatient ward and associated outpatient facilities.

The new centre will ensure that NHS Fife’s orthopaedic services are able meet the increasing demand for orthopaedic interventions.

In recent years, Fife has become a centre of great innovation in orthopaedic surgery, pioneering hip and knee replacement as day cases - the first board in Scotland to do so.

Jeane Freeman, Health Secretary said: “The centre will provide safe, modern and improved patient services for the people of Fife.

“Elective care centres like this will be particularly important as we remobilise NHS services in the wake of the pandemic.”

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Tricia Marwick, who chairs NHS Fife, said the centre would give Fifers the highest levels of care.

She added: “We are fortunate here in Fife to have perhaps the most innovative and person-centred team of orthopaedic clinicians in the country.

“The development of the new orthopaedic centre will help us make the most of the considerable clinical expertise we have available and ensure that we can meet the increasing demand for this vital service, whilst also cementing NHS Fife’s position at the heart of orthopaedic excellence in Scotland.

For clinicians, it will give them access to cutting edge facilities.

Andy Ballantyne, consultant orthopaedic surgeon and clinical lead for the Fife Elective Orthopaedic Centre. Said it was an “exciting journey” to see work start.

He added: “Getting to this stage is the result of five years of work and commitment by wider project team, and staff have contributed enthusiastically in helping drive this project forward.

“We can look forward to an exciting future with a modern purpose-built facility.”

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