A ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction for a new medical and dental centre at Leuchars Station in Fife.
The construction contract, worth nearly £22 million, was awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to Graham last year.
The new building will replace the aging current medical and dental centre, which was built in 1936. Once the replacement facility is complete, medical personnel and patients will transition over to the new medical and dental centre and Graham will demolish the old building.
Once complete, the new facility will be of sufficient size to cater for the increasing number of personnel forecast to be based at the station in the coming years, as it is to become the Army's hub in Scotland. Around 3,700 personnel at the British Army establishment and their dependents will benefit from the new building, which will house physical rehabilitation and mental health facilities as well as GP and dental services.
The building has been carefully designed to be as sustainable as possible, including through thermal efficiency, solar panels, air source heat pumps and provision of four electric vehicle charging stations. Building materials have been selected not only on the basis of suitability but also to reduce carbon impact on the environment. It is hoped that the building can be an example of sustainability in construction of future MOD medical and dental centres.
Shaun Purdy, DIO's Project Manager, said:
While the current medical and dental centre has hosted great medical care, it is important that we continually strive to improve and modernise. This new, larger facility will ensure that personnel and their families continue to receive the best possible care in the future in a modern clinical practice.
Working closely with Defence Medical Services, UK Strategic Command and partners it was agreed that a brand-new building is by far the best solution and will provide the sort of high-quality medical and dental care our personnel deserve.
It will provide a modern building suited not only for patients, but also for our dedicated professional medical staff.
Major TB Gray, Station Quartermaster, said:
It has been 10 years since the Army took ownership of Leuchars Station from the RAF and the troops returned from Germany to make Fife their permanent home. The new healthcare facility is one of many ongoing and planned multi-million-pound projects which will see Leuchars transform from an ageing RAF site into the largest Army Garrison in Scotland.
Our medical provision required a full new build, which when finished will support the Leuchars service community and dependents alike. This shows that the MOD is serious in the development of Leuchars into a modern Garrison with state-of-the-art facilities to support its operational capability.
Surgeon Commodore Andy Nelstrop, Cdr Defence Primary Healthcare, said:
Delivering expert healthcare to our Armed Forces and ensuring that they are able to see a medical professional quickly is a priority for all those who work within Defence Primary Healthcare.
It is fundamental that all our medical personnel and patients can work and be treated in a modern environment and have access to the latest equipment and resources, which is why the construction of this new centre is so important.
It is just one part of our ongoing programme to ensure everyone in our military receives the primary healthcare they deserve, and I am delighted that all those based at Leuchars will soon be able to benefit from this fantastic facility.
Chris MacLeod, Graham Building North's Regional Director, said:
We are delighted to be continuing our longstanding relationship with Defence Infrastructure Organisation to help deliver new and improved health and wellbeing facilities for the military personnel and their families at Leuchars.
