Hospital needs ‘immediate’ work, health board says

Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick. 

Work is needed to be done to the Gilbert Bain Hospital “immediately,” after survey works highlighted the deteriorating condition the ageing building is in.

NHS Shetland made the claim today (Wednesday), before the final reports are collated on its state.

The update from the health board comes after years of calls to improve the facility or replace it altogether.

In a statement, the health board said the problems with the old building were well documented, and pressures would only mount as the colder temperatures set in.

“It has become evident that some immediate work is needed, particularly as we approach the colder months, to preserve the building and support its continued use for at least the next 10-15 years,” it said said.

Initial feedback from the survey work concluded the building was “not unsafe structurally and there is no evidence to suggest concern about the integrity of the hospital”.

NHS Shetland had made its staff aware of the condition of the building, and its statement, before releasing it to the media.

To read more about this story, pick up a copy of Friday’s Shetland Times.