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NHS Grampian insist new health centre in Keith remains a 'priority'


By Ewan Malcolm

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NHS Grampian say that a new health centre for Keith is still high up on their list of priorities despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Keith Health Centre has been deemed not fit for purpose and there has been a strong local campaign to secure 21st century health facilities for the town and wider community.
Keith Health Centre has been deemed not fit for purpose and there has been a strong local campaign to secure 21st century health facilities for the town and wider community.

Before the pandemic, land had been identified for a new health centre near Banff Road in the town. Discussions had also taken place with the police and the fire service about creating a community hub but those plans have since been put on hold.

Now, NHS Grampian have reaffirmed their stance that a new health centre is needed but stopped short of identifying a date for completing and submitting an initial assessment to initiate the process.

A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said: "A new health centre for Keith remains one of NHS Grampian's priority projects and we fully understand the strong desire locally to see this development move forward. We await further guidance from the Scottish Government on what funding may be available for primary care premises."

Last month politicians toured Keith Community Surgery and the Turner Memorial Hospital in a push to see progress in plans to replace the outdated facilities.

There, they met GPs from the practice. Dr David Rathband, one of the GPs at the practice, echoed the feelings of many in the community.

He said: "We are keen to get the process back on track and get something to show for our efforts.

"The hospital really isn't equipped in the way that a modern healthcare facility would be.

"The health centre doesn't have the number of access points that would be expected. It doesn't have the communal spaces that would be normal in a modern healthcare facility. The rooms aren't accessible for patients in wheelchairs.

"These are basic fundamentals of 21st-century care."

Caroline Hiscox, Chief Executive of NHS Grampian, added: "While we can't provide any further information at this time, what I can say is that at NHS Grampian we are working to support our primary care colleagues in a number of different ways and particularly in Moray I know that there is a lot of work and focus, quite rightly, on our primary care infrastructure and how we best support that."


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