£75m state-of-the-art mental health facility nears completion

Murray Royal Hospital: Project manager David Gray, NHS Tayside chairman Sandy Watson and project director Dave Charles (l-r).

Contractors have handed over the keys to NHS Tayside for a new £75m mental health facility on the Murray Royal Hospital site in Perth.

NHS Tayside Chairman Sandy Watson accepted the keys for the development from contractors Taycare on Thursday.

The new Murray Royal Hospital is due to be operational in July, with patients and staff transferring from existing wards over the coming weeks following a comprehensive cleaning, equipping and inspection programme.

The hospital, together with the £20m Susan Carnegie Centre at Stracathro Hospital, will provide state-of-the-art facilities for adult and older inpatients, out-patients and day patients from across Tayside.

There is also a new Secure Care Clinic, Rohallion, which contains both low and medium secure wards. The medium secure unit is jointly funded with Grampian, Highland, Orkney and Shetland NHS Boards and the first ward is due to open in August.

Mr Watson said: "It is wonderful to see these fantastic new facilities nearing completion. I am delighted to be receiving the keys for the new Murray Royal Hospital on behalf of NHS Tayside and this means we can get on and bring these brilliant buildings to life and, most importantly, start to make a real difference to our patients.

"This project, which has had so much input from so many people with a real involvement in the hospital, underlines NHS Tayside's commitment to the care of patients with mental health problems."

Since 1827 there has been a hospital on the Murray Royal site for patients with mental ill health. The first buildings were constructed as a result of a legacy from James Murray for the construction of an asylum for Perth and its neighbourhood. Since then a number of buildings have been added to meet the increased need.

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