New Gilbert Bain Hospital?

[Lerwick antiques]

What do you think about getting a newly build Gilbert Bain hospital? is the one we have really past it's best? if it is will it last for another 10 years? Maybe should have saved the money wasted on Mareel to put in this fund?

 

Interesting to see your opinions

[Ghostrider]

The building at 52 years old is definitely well past its best, if not structurally then certainly in terms of being "old fashioned", and the site its on is grossly overcrowded. Probably best to start planning a replacement with time to spare rather than a rush job when replacement becomes unavoidable. The previous hospital was only in use for 59 years, before it was replaced with this one, after a planning and building program that lasted several years. This one will be as old and probably as outdated as its predecessor was by the time a new one is ready even if planning starts now.

 

Hospitals are a Government funding matter, we pays our NI and taxes, and they redirect them (allegedly) to provide an "as required" "cradle to the grave" all inclusive health care service. Money being spent on Mareel or anything else locally that has nothing to do with health being diverted to pay for any health care facility has no business happening and is a moot point, as it has nothing to do with it.

 

All health care expenditure is exclusively a Government responsibility and their problem. Shetland set a very dangerous precedent for the future by raising funds to buy and initially run a scanner, the efforts should have been directed towards forcing the Government to accept its responsibilities and provide one themselves. Thankfully that initiative seems to have been something of a 'one off' so far, god forbid the concept is being resurrected to suggest a complete hospital should be paid for by local funds as well. We've all paid our share in to the fund with our NI and taxes, if we need a new hospital its our turn to get back out of the same fund what we've already paid for and have a right to get, any other ideas is just letting the Government off the hook and giving them more pennies to throw around unwisely.

[paulb]

yes its out dated. the ward structure is not fit for a modern hospital. its either to hot or freeing so it must cost them a fortune to heat. lots of other things are showing its getting to its end of life.

 

there has always been extra fund raising in the nhs.

[suuusssiiieee]

Would a new Hospital be constructed on the same site?, the old AHS site at the Knab?, or somewhere completely different?

[Silvercloud]

There are many old hospital buildings some very famous and currently contined to be used that have managed to bring some of their areas up to date, alot older than GBH. Some are lucky and have the extra land /space to also add on more modern wings to old traditional buildings of a hospital.

 

However GBH does need updating and even though they spent alot money updating alot of areas sometimes I think it was throwing good money at it didn't make a huge difference in some areas, and could that money have been saved and put towards a new hospital if that was in pipeline /thinking ?

 

Maternity area is one example that had money spent on it, the delivery rooms still need improving to move more line with up to date thinking and so does the decore . An early loss room was planned few years back got sidelined, and now pleased to read there could be progress in this area, but really more room is required.

 

So although there are many examples of hospital alot older than GBH up and down the UK in comparrison 52 yrs doesn't seem that old.

I don't think its all about its age of the buidlings, but space for some areas .

 

I was wondering if the a new hospital was to be built, could it go on the knab when Anderson High moves?

Thus leaving old hopsital to be used while new hospital being built??

 

Then there is the big issues of cost and planning.

I would hate to see more studies and proposals being put forward and then nothing comming of any of it and more money being wasted.

[paulb]

it would obviously have to be built on a different site. would the north side of lerwick not be better. if they could get a decent flat area then it would be cheaper. same as the high school. we need a functioning hospital while its being built. cant see them replacing the buildings whilst its running.

 

not sure the school site is best access is not that great.

[Silvercloud]

I know one thing I would like to see if a new hospital is on the cards , a questionaire/suggestion page that goes out to everybody in Shetland .So people could put suggestions /ideas down so that they too could be more involved if only in a small way.

 

or if the GBH had a suggestion box for the new hospital. Something easy for people to do that takes no time at all and doesn't necessaily mean attending a meeting/group.

 

I'm sure people have lots ideas of what they might like to see/happen in a new hospital even if a lot ideas were not possible for whatever reason at least someone read them and considered them.

[Urabug]

When the GBH was opened I'm sure it was the "bee's knees",but we only have to look at our own homes & how they have changed over the years,better insulation,double glased,windows, heating ect.

 

Over the years a lot of money has been spent on the GBH to modernise

& improve it.

 

While I do not dispute that changes to modern medical practises probably require better facilities which cannot be fulfilled in the existing building, a new building is required,but 52 years is not that old for a building surely.

 

Will the Clickamin Centre ,Museum ect; all require new buildings at the age of 52?

 

What about all the Council houses!

[Silvercloud]

52 years is not old for a hospital there quite lot of much older hospitals functioning well and been updated sucessfully to provide a service for more years to come.

 

However GBH already had some updating at at considerable cost some of it not been very effective in some areas. It's tempting to say just build a new hopsital as space is an at GBH.

 

However it does not matter where the money comes from whether updating or building new, it needs to be spent wisely , and just because its not comming out of your own personal purse doesn't mean lets go extravagent. lets not have loads of Consultant rooms ,functions rooms etc keeping simple and functional would do nothing fancy state of the art which tends to cause more finacial issues to build.

 

 

 

 

A shiny new hospital might look good but not necessaily make everything better. There is lot of changes that still to be addressed in other areas, see how safe is your hospital thread.

 

Its difficult decision its tempting to say let have a new hospital but only if its carefully thought out .

[Ghostrider]

The current hospital is a steel framed, flat roofed affair, they're not noted for their longevity, some are okay, but many aren't. Certainly there are numerous older buildings, but they tend to be of different construction e.g. stone etc.

 

Remember the issues with the SIC steel framed Cruden houses about 20 years ago or so that they ended up more or less being demolised and rebuilt, and we're being told the existing AHS is "falling apart", not the original bit built around 150 years ago, but the bits built in 1964 and 1978.

 

When this was mooted last around 10 years or so ago that plan, if memory serves was to build somewhere around Gremista. I didn't like that thought then, and I'm no more delighted with it now. Being in hospital in the first place is a disheartening, depressing and boring exercise anyway, and while being able to look outside on to a reasonably attractive view is a very minor thing it makes a notable difference to your mood, which in turn converts in some small way towards helping recovery. Staring at blank brown heathery hills and industrial yards is not what most would consider a "reasonably attractive view".

[fusion]

I think its a great idea, the money wasted in mareel is not nhs money its local council money so it wont make any odds on this situation.

 

new hospitail location? parhaps where the powerstation is now? when they move to the new powerstation that land should come clear.

 

then perhaps 2nd council building where the gbh is now. The council can make hayfeid house into the new school hostel . The current hospitail building should be enough to house all the other departments not in the new white house. Then the council could either move the toon hall offices there, the libuary, islesburgh, the list is endless.

 

then move bells brae school into the good bits of the anderson high. with added new links. that could either house all primary school kids in lerwick?

[suuusssiiieee]

I think the LPA would have plans to use that land where the power station is now, perhaps another quay in the future or something...have to say the town is not blessed with much spare land to work with, so at this rate they will be half filling in the Clickimin Loch for some flat ground!

[Carlos]

Imagine this is 1913, planning to build a hospital to be open in 1925, and then to be in use until 2000. Lots of changes in lots of things in that time that would have been very hard to predict with much accuracy....

 

For this one I suppose you have to decide if you build it on the outskirts with more parking and easier groundworks, or build it with more houses closer to the site, but more spend/compromise on making it work.

 

Ness of Sound is likely another one that'll be looked at, but compromises there too.

[shetlandpeat]

It is much more than building a new hospital. Many of the medical facilities do fall short, a little research into this will reveal. Many of the outer surgeries, according to one report indicate that there could be vast improvements made. With a portfolio of £27 million in floor space (2011) it would need to accommodate not just the current needs but future needs, also there would need to be a significant reduction in other available and used floor space in Lerwick. Montfield would have to go.

 

The property can be divided into 4 areas according to the report I read,

 

1/ Hospital premises which need significant investment and are

difficult to adapt to meet the latest models of clinical care

 

2/ Primary care buildings which are generally modern and largely fit

for purpose

 

3/ Non-doctor island clinical space and accommodation being sub-standard

 

4/ A range of non clinical accommodation that has opportunities for

rationalisation

 

The above reasons do indicate a need for a long term plan to replace, but it seems there is still some work to do in the interim.

 

The board has a significant estate of housing and staff residential

accommodation. This is needed for a variety of sound reasons but there may be opportunities to provide this in innovative ways.

 

Office accommodation accounts for around 8% of the present estate. Part of this, some 800m2 is rented. We should seek to reduce the dependence on rented accommodation and this can be done by a combination of

consolidation, amalgamation of this type of space with public sector partners and encouraging the use of flexible models of working such as home working and hot-desking.

 

There are other ways listed as well.

 

Work has already started on the GCCAM and of course the Carbon Management plan will have to be looked at.

 

It will be a significant spend to replace all the wanton buildings though firstly, I would think money saved initially should be spent improving satellite provision.

[Lerwick antiques]

I think the new hospital is a fantastic idea. It would need to have far more space and layed out much better. Remember the old health centre? it was buggered so they demolished it and put up the new one. That most be around 15 years ago now and it is still modern, good layout and more than enough space.