A new orthopaedic centre for Fife

The new National Orthopaedics Centre building is complete and services are up and running. Back on the 20th of March 2023 we welcomed our very first patient to be treated in the new orthopaedic suite, Mr Paul Gilhooley on the opening day. You can read more about this here.

Project background

With the demand for orthopaedic interventions such as hip or knee replacements ever increasing, it was clear back in 2015 that the existing facilities for orthopaedic surgery were no longer fit for purpose. At this time, a decision was taken to replace the existing outdated infrastructure which existed at the in Phase 2 of the Tower block at the Victoria Hospital.

With the support of the NHS Fife Board, an Initial Agreement report was developed and presented to the Scottish Government’s Capital Investment Group in November 2017. The Scottish Government supported this project and it was taken forward alongside the National Elective Treatment Centre programme. Soon thereafter, the project was given the green light to go ahead and in 2019 the initial project team were joined by external partners who were procured to assist in the technical delivery of the project.

Vision

The plans encompassed building a modern orthopaedic healthcare facility that would contain a 3-theatre surgical complex and both inpatient, short stay ward areas as well as an outpatient area. It was built to support NHS Fife in managing our elective (planned) orthopaedic activity as opposed to activity which results as a result of unforeseen trauma or accidental damage to joints and tissue.

Elective orthopaedics refers to the management of degenerative conditions of the joints or associative soft tissue. These are often more long-term conditions and such patients are seen by us when GPs or associated healthcare professionals can no longer offer solutions to manage the condition without surgical intervention.

Construction

Work started on the £33 million facility back in March 2021 and we are proud to report that the whole project was delivered on time and within budget, a feat which was in no small part due to the fantastic work, care, and planning by our construction partners Graham.

Site choice

The site chosen for the site of the new orthopaedic building was a former carpark – car park H. It was on the Victoria Hospital site, offering the best access to all of the existing related services on the main hospital site.  The build has also made possible a reconfiguration of services across Fife meaning that other services also benefit from the project, as space previously used by the orthopaedic services has been released to benefit other areas.

Our partners

While we worked with a number of partners to realise the final build, we engaged Graham as principal contractor for the build in 2019 after a competitive tender.

NHS Scotland recovery plan

The National Treatment Centres programme which was announced by Scottish Government in 2015, aims to provide the highest standards of care through a network of modern, efficient national treatment centres each offering their own specialisations. The capacity the NTCs offer will help reduce waiting lists across Scotland.

Read NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 

March 2023

The National Treatment Centre - Fife Orthopaedics was opened on March 20th 2023. Watch the video showing a history of the project from concept to completion.

Our building 2023

Our completed centre as it looks now.