£30m bid to move last NHS Fife department from ageing Victoria Hospital tower block

NHS Fife’s orthopaedics department, which specialises in musculoskeletal conditions, will be informed on December 11, if its £30m bid to secure funding to allow for the creation of a brand new facility connected into the existing estate, which would house both theatres and ward, can go ahead.

Jann Gardner, NHS Fife deputy CEO, told a meeting of NHSFife board this week, that orthopaedics were the now the only in-patient department left within the ageing tower block following the recent relocation of the three elderly wards from within the tower.

“The next step is to go to the capital investment group, this will take place on the December 11.”

However, question marks still remain over the long-term future of the building, with health bosses weighing up the financial implications on whether to push on with an expensive refurbishment of the tower block, or opt for demolition and a complete redevelopment of the immediate site.

Health bosses admitted back in July 2017 that the tower was unsustainable as a clinical environment in the long term.

The orthopeadics department has remained in the tower block, using below-standard facilities hampered by flooding, leaks and electrical issues in the building which was built over 50 years ago.