New spade in hand, Health Minister Andy Kerr cut the first sod on the site of the £100 million Victoria Hospital to mark the start of construction. The area is opposite the existing 126-year-old Victoria Infirmary.

Mr Kerr said, ‘I am honoured to mark the beginning of construction for this impressive new facility which will bring state-of-the-art healthcare to the local community. A wide range of specialities including ENT surgery, gynaecology, urology, plastic surgery as well as outpatient clinics and diagnostic services are planned for the new Victoria Hospital. It will also deliver chemotherapy and renal dialysis for the first time in the South of the City. It will be one of the most modern and well equipped hospitals in the country and will be a model for future hospital planning.’

The three storey building will have 1500 beds in 400,000 square metres of floor space. MRI scans will also be carried out there. This means patients from South East Glasgow will no longer need to travel to the Southern General for scans.

Based on the idea of a ‘hospital in the park’ inpatients’ rooms will look out onto Queen’s Park, and the hospital building will be based around a number of courtyards, providing natural light.

Clyde Street-based HLM Architects designed the building. Director Douglas Roxburgh said it would create a ‘high-amenity, therapeutic environment for patients and staff, which will assist with recovery’. He added, ‘Set in mature landscape, the architecture is sensitive to its Victorian surroundings and we have selected materials that create a reassuring and non-institutional healthcare environment.’ 

Robert Calderwood, Chief Operating Officer for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Acute Division, said, ‘The development of this new hospital will signal a new era in patient care and comfort. Modern consulting rooms, airy waiting areas and secure underground parking will create an attractive and welcoming environment, totally changing the patient experience for the better. This isn’t just about a new building, but about providing world-class health services and facilities for local people in the heart of the Southside, including several key services that they currently have to travel elsewhere to receive.’

Cathcart MSP Charlie Gordon said, ‘I’m obviously delighted. It’s not every generation that sees the construction of a new hospital. By any standard, this is a massive investment for the Southside – it’s very positive.’

The new Victoria Hospital is expected to be completed by 30 March 2009 and will treat up to 400,000 patients a year.