Moray’s MSP has hailed the qualify of care on offer at the region’s newest health centre.
Rural Affairs Minister Richard Lochhead was given a guided tour of the facility at Forres by Dr Graeme Govan and Alison Smart, area manager for the local community health partnership.
Mr Lochhead said having 21st century health care facilities in place was “a great news story” for the area.
He said: “It’s been a long, winding road with the campaign for the doctors and the community to have modern facilities built here, and having a tour opens your eyes to just how modern and state-of-the-art the health facilities are.”
He added: “With two GP practices based at the new health centre, as well as many other health professionals, when you turn one corner there’s a minor surgery unit, another corner there’s a physiotherapy room.
“There’s a whole array of facilities here, so that hopefully the tens of thousands of patients in the Forres area are able to access the best health care on their own doorstep.
“That, in turn, can even play a role in taking pressure off Dr Gray’s Hospital. People can come in who may otherwise have gone to accident and emergency in Elgin.”
Ms Smart said: “We were able to demonstrate to Richard how we can deliver 21st century health care out of a brand new building.
“The morale of the staff is really high, so that can only be good for the patients, and we have met a number of staff who are happy and smiling in the workplace and that can only be good.”
Dr Govan, a senior partner in Forres, said: “The two partnerships work harmoniously out of the building as we did before, but we have got clearly much more space than we had before.
“The patients seem to be very happy. To facilitate the service we’ve got to deliver a good service from a new bespoke building, and we’re working towards that.
“I think we would say honestly that it’s not the finished article in terms of that finished service, but we now have the facilities to deliver the sort of service that patients of Forres deserve.
“I think there’s no doubt that the environment in which people are seeking health care has an impact on how they feel about themselves and about their health, and so there’s no excuse for us not to be able to deliver an excellent service for years to come.”