The first phase of the reconfiguration of Ross Memorial Hospital has been completed. Fire compliance work, which started in October 2024, that will ensure the building meets all fire compliance infrastructure, finished earlier last month (December).
The work has allowed the co-location of our rheumatology inpatient and general inpatient services to a single ward.
Patients and staff will move into the new ward on 6 January 2025. It will be a 14-bed unit with 9 general beds and 5 rheumatology beds.
The next stage of the reconfiguration will see the current general ward being converted into an outpatient department to accommodate rheumatology infusion service, outpatient consultant, and specialist nursing clinics. This stage is planned to take five weeks and will be completed in late February 2025.
Kenny Rodgers, District Manager for NHS Highland said: “It’s great to see the completion of the first stage of the Ross Memorial reconfiguration delivered through a plan that ensured as little disruption to service as possible. I would like to express my thanks to our staff for their hard work during this time and to our patients and their families for their patience while this work was being carried out.”
Pamela Stott, Chief Officer for NHS Highland, said: “The reconfiguration of Ross Memorial Hospital is a key development to ensure that people can access services and receive care closer to home. I would also like to thank Keir Construction for undertaking the works and working collaboratively with us to deliver a construction programme on a live hospital site. I am looking forward to the second phase being progressed to completion.”