Raigmore Hospital is a health facility located in Inverness, Scotland. It serves patients from the local area as well providing specialist services to patients from across the Highland area. It is a teaching hospital, educating a range of healthcare professionals in association with the Universities of Aberdeen and Stirling. It is managed by NHS Highland.
History
The hospital has its origins in a temporary facility which was built by James Campbell & Sons on part of the Raigmore House estate, as one of the seven new Emergency Hospital Service facilities, in 1941. The single storey wartime wards continued to be used for a further three decades, until the construction of the present buildings. A maternity facility was added in 1947 and the hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948. In 1962 an announcement was made that a modern district general hospital would be provided at Raigmore. The new facilities were designed by J. Gleave & Partners and the first phase, which included radiology and radiotherapy, laboratory, out-patient services and medical departments, opened in 1970. A second phase, which included the main tower block with operating theatres, opened in 1985. The hospital has progressively taken over the provision of some or all of the services previously performed by older hospitals in Inverness including Culduthel Hospital, Hilton Hospital and the Royal Northern Infirmary. In 2004 a new emergency department was constructed. In the General Medical Council's 2014 National Trainee Survey the department was rated highly by trainee doctors who had worked there. The Wyvis Suite opened in 2007 following a £600 thousand refurbishment project. It provided a new home for the re-located nurse-led pre-op assessment unit and the cardiac ultrasound service. These facilities had increased service capacity and allowed more direct and rapid access. As part of a national replacement programme, the first of two new radiotherapy machines arrived in 2009. An appeal had been launched in March 2011 to refurbish the Children’s ward, but the £1m target was quickly reached so a decision was taken to extend the target and create a new unit. In June 2016 a new children's ward was opened with a 30-bed inpatient area. In March 2016, £28m was put towards a three-year programme to upgrade the hospital's critical care areas and operating theatres.
Services
There are 452 beds in the hospital, mostly in the 8-storey tower building. The hospital has 9 operating theatres. In October 2014 the board agreed a £26m plan to refurbish the existing operating theatres and add a 10th.
Specialist units
The hospital has a 30-bed Paediatric unit, where in-patient care in Medical Paediatrics; Oral Surgery, ENT unit and Child and Family Psychiatry are based. Raigmore also contains a 57-bed maternity unit; specialist services such as cystic fibrosis, cardiology and rheumatology and the Birnie Child Development Centre for children with learning difficulties and special needs.
Baby-friendly hospital
Raigmore Hospital has approximately 2077 births per year and has full accreditation as baby friendly, since November 2005.
Admissions Lounge
In 2010 an Admissions Lounge was added, located on first floor of the tower. This is a pre-operative waiting area to accommodate patients coming in on the day of their planned surgery.
The infusion suite
In 2011 a new service began that allows patients to attend as outpatients to get medication through a drip. This meant that several patients could be getting treatment at the same time, with a team of dedicated staff providing this care.
Citizens advice
The hospital has had its own onsite citizen’s advice office since 2003.
A Maggie's Centre, Maggie's Highlands, can also be found beside Raigmore Hospital. The building, which won the RIAS Andrew Doolan Award for Architecture in 2006, was designed by Scottish architectural firm Page\Park Architects and its gardens were designed by landscape architect and designer Charles Jencks. It was opened officially by the Scottish Health Minister, Andy Kerr, and Carol McGregor on 7 June 2005.
