Construction work on the new Stobhill Hospital started today after Andy Kerr, the Minister for Health and Community Care, drove the first digger onto site with the help of local schoolchildren from Auchinairn Primary School.

The £100m state-of-the-art new Stobhill will be one of the largest hospitals in Scotland covering 4 floors and an area the size of 30,000 square metres – the equivalent of five football pitches.

It is expected to treat around 400,000 patients each year when it opens in 2009.

In addition to the existing outpatient clinics, day surgery and diagnostic services, the new Stobhill Hospital will also provide a number of specialist health services such as cardiology, renal dialysis and gynaecology. It will also have 12 short stay surgical beds, to enable clinicians to extend the range of surgical procedures offered within the new hospital. This will mean that more than 2,000 patients per year, who would otherwise have had to travel to other hospitals in the city, will now be able to have their treatment at the new Stobhill.

The new hospital will provide an attractive and welcoming environment for patients and visitors with light, airy public spaces, comfortable waiting areas and fresh, modern consulting rooms.

Health Minister Andy Kerr said: "The New Stobhill Hospital will be one of the most modern and well equipped hospitals in the country and will be a model for future hospital planning.

"The enhanced surgical and diagnostic facilities, including MRI scanning for the first time, at the new Stobhill Hospital will allow patients from North Glasgow, East Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire to receive their treatment locally.

"The local delivery of high-quality healthcare is at the centre of our plans to modernise the NHS in Scotland and I fully believe that change in the way health services are delivered across Glasgow will not only strengthen quality of care but will also improve staff and patient experience."

Professor Sir John Arbuthnott, Chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "The development of the new hospital is at the heart of plans to transform the Stobhill site and ensure it remains one of the city's key health locations for decades to come.

"It will also provide a major boost to the local economy with hundreds of new construction jobs created during the build period."

Bob Anderson, Scottish General Manager, Balfour Beatty, the main contractor for the new hospital, said: " This start of construction is a major milestone and we can now focus on making the exiting plans for this new state-of-art new hospital a reality. We also look forward to seeing the innovative design brought to life as the building takes shape over the next two years."

Photographs of the sod-cutting ceremony and the latest computer generated images of the new Stobhill Hospital are available from the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde press office on 0141 201 4429.

Other key developments that will be built on the Stobhill site include a new Marie Curie Hospice, Skye House (the new inpatient mental health service for young people) and Rowanbank Clinic (the new secure care centre).

Some of the services the new Stobhill Hospital will provide include:

OUTPATIENTS

Audiology

Cardiology

Colorectal

Dermatology

Diabetics

Stroke

Gastroenterology

General Medicine

General Surgery

Gynaecology

Haematology

Ophthalmology

Orthopaedics

Pain Service

Plastic Surgery

Psychology/psychiatry

Renal Dialysis

Respiratory

Rheumatology

Stroke Clinic

Urology

INVESTIGATIONS/TREATMENTS/THERAPY

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Dental

Dietetics

Podiatry

Radiology

Speech and Language Therapy

Physiotherapy

Minor Injuries

Respiratory

Occupational Therapy

DAY SURGERY

Ear, nose and throat

Oral Surgery

Orthopaedics

Ophthalmology

Gynaecology

General Surgery

Gastroenterology

Respiratory

Urology

For further information contact 0141 201 4429.