The latest meeting of the Lochaber Steering Group was held in May.
The group is made up of representatives from public groups across Lochaber as well as other public bodies and NHS Highland. It is a key forum for engagement around the replacement Belford Hospital and the wider review of health and social care services in Lochaber.
The group heard about the Health Board’s successful recruitment within Lochaber and received feedback from clinicians about the Belford’s COVID-19 response.
Louise Bussell, NHS Highland’s Chief Officer, said: “We were again joined by clinicians who highlighted the value of our rural general hospitals, and this is something we are keen to build on as we remobilise services across Highland, Argyll and Bute. Our clinical colleagues are at the heart of our planning for the future.
“Following the commitments made by the Board in December 2020, the project is starting to gather pace. The steering group was assured that NHS Highland will have an Initial Agreement prepared for submission to the Board in November 2021.
“Pam Dudek, NHS Highland’s Chief Executive, has asked for the Initial Agreement to be shared with the Scottish Government’s Capital Investment Group in October to allow the processes to run parallel. The Initial Agreement will provide a proposed programme detailing timelines for each part of the process and this detail will be shared with the group as soon as possible.
“NHS Highland has outlined its new leadership structure for the project and governance structure including public representation within the project team. The Board has also committed to meeting with communities across Lochaber over the next few months to seek their views to help shape our plans for the redesign of services in the area.”
With the new governance structures in place the Steering Group will become the Stakeholder Group for the Lochaber Health and Social Care Redesign. It will continue to be held on a monthly basis to ensure local feedback and discussions remain at the heart of key issues in the project.
Read more about Lochaber health and social care redesign.