New £35m Stirling Care Village given green light

An innovative new Care Village will be built in the grounds of Stirling Community Hospital following the approval of detailed plans.A full business case for the £35 million development has been approved by the Scottish Government which means building work will begin in January 2017 and the majority of the new facilities are expected to be operational by autumn 2018.Final building works, roads and car parking are expected to be completed by autumn 2019.The new Care Village is a joint venture by Stirling Council, NHS Forth Valley and the Scottish Ambulance Service and is being developed through hub East Central Scotland.The plans will see the creation of a new Care Hub for older people who require additional short-term care, an assessment or rehabilitation following an illness, an operation or an acute hospital admission. Services will be delivered in a modern, purpose-built facility with more than 100 short-stay care beds.A new Primary and Urgent Care Centre will also be developed to house a number of existing health services on the community hospital site. In addition, the Scottish Ambulance Service plans to relocate its existing ambulance station in the Riverside area of Stirling to a new facility on the Stirling Community Hospital site.