Work Starts On Stirling Care Village

Work is now underway to build a new Care Village in Stirling, which will provide specialist facilities for older people including additional short-term care, assessment or rehabilitation following an illness or operation and support for patients with dementia or those who need palliative and end of life care.

The £35m development has been approved by the Scottish Government and is expected to be operational by Autumn 2018. Final building works, roads and car parking are due to be finished by Autumn 2019.

The new Care Village, which is being built in the grounds of Stirling Community Hospital, is a joint venture between Stirling Council, NHS Forth Valley and the Scottish Ambulance Service. It is being developed through hub East Central Scotland (a joint partnership between public and private sector organisations aimed at developing and delivering better local services across East Central Scotland).

Services will be delivered in a modern, purpose-built ‘Care Hub’ with more than 100 short-stay care beds. This will ensure people are cared for in a comfortable, homely environment to help them recover, regain their independence and, in the majority of cases, return to their own homes.

A new Primary and Urgent Care Centre is also being developed to house a number of existing health services on the site. These include Minor Injuries, X-ray facilities and GP out-of-hours services along with primary care services provided by a number of local GP practices which will  re-locate to purpose-built premises within the new Centre. In addition, the Scottish Ambulance Service plan to move their existing ambulance station in the Riverside area of Stirling to the site.

Partners are also keen to develop a range of onsite recreational facilities, such as a café and a hair salon, where older people could socialise and meet friends and family. And  Forth Valley College is keen to explore opportunities for  local people who want a career in health and care services to be trained within the new Care Village through placement and volunteering opportunities.