Worries that cost of Caithness redesign could rise as £6m spent on ‘paused’ NHS Highland projects
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Almost £6 million was spent by NHS Highland on health projects which could be affected by a Scottish Government decision to put capital spending on hold for at least two years.
The figure – obtained in Freedom of Information (FoI) requests by a member of the public who wishes to be anonymous – includes the £2.8 million spent on the Caithness Redesign initiative which involved the creation of health hubs in Wick and Thurso and the reconfiguration of Caithness General hospital. The total cost of the scheme was said to be around £80 million.
However, health boards across Scotland have been told to pause any new capital projects and concentrate on essential maintenance after the Scottish Government described its capital funding position as "extremely challenging". The decision will impact on other major healthcare projects in the Highlands.
The so-called pause on spending was expected to be reviewed in 2026 but it was recently claimed by an NHS Highland official that the health hubs in Wick and Thurso will not go ahead before 2030.
The FoIs confirm that £2.84 million was spent on the Caithness Redesign so far with a further £1.45 million spent upgrading maternity services at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness in the 2023/24 financial year. Another £1.65 million was spent on the new proposed Belford Hospital in Fort William, taking the total to £5.94 million.
Over the five-year period from 2019 to 2023, £690,055 was spent on maintenance at Caithness General Hospital with the figure for Raigmore at £2.64 million.
A breakdown of the £2.8 million spent on the Caithness Redesign was requested but the details could not be obtained.
"While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. NHS Highland has provided the Scottish Government with confirmation of the total amount of spending on the Caithness redesign project. However, it does not have a breakdown of the spending that would allow me to provide the level of detail you have asked for," the person who requested the FoI was told.
Ron Gunn, the chairman of the Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT), described the redesign plans as "being up in the air at the moment”.
"It is a worry. All that money has been spent and there is no guarantee we will get the funding in future,” he said. “Costs and maintenance go up all the time and if the hubs are not to be built now until 2030, the £80 million figure could be up by possibly several million pounds.
“Even if the funding becomes available at a later date, NHS Highland will be in a queue with other health boards across Scotland for the money.
"As costs go up and dates move, I am less optimistic about the chances of success. It is a difficult situation and the Scottish parliament elections could have an outcome on the funding as well."
Mr Gunn, who is also the chairman of Highland Council's Caithness committee, added: "If we don't get the money for the redesign scheme then the £2.8 million will have been wasted and that will add to the disappointment for Caithness.
"A lot of time and effort was put into that project by NHS Highland staff and community representatives over the years and it would be very unfortunate if that was all lost as well."
