The new £33m National Treatment Centre – Fife Orthopaedics , located within the grounds of the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy and now welcoming its first patients, has been the recipient of two significant grants totalling over £700,000 from Fife Health Charity to help bring the innovative project to fruition.
With construction commencing just two years ago as part of the government’s network of National Treatment Centres across Scotland, the Fife state-of-the-art facility has been designed to provide outpatient, inpatient and short-stay ward areas, plus a three-theatre surgical complex.
In contributing to the funding of the new centre, Fife Health Charity committed its single largest-ever grant of £618,000 to integrate Audio Visual technology within the surgical theatres. This enhanced experience will enable staff to visualise stages of surgery, improving multidisciplinary team working and changing the way training, teaching and learning experiences are delivered to a wide spectrum of staff and trainees, reflecting NHS Fife's commitment to staff development and teaching excellence and ambition to achieve teaching Health Board status.
In addition, Fife Health Charity awarded £120,000 to deliver a range of environmental enhancements to improve patient experience during their treatment and care at the centre and create beneficial facilities for staff.
The indoor enhancements include vinyl wall images within inpatient rooms and theatres, living ceiling tiles in anaesthetic and recovery areas, and diorama installations. The extensive outdoor enhancements funded by the Charity include interactive displays for children, landscaping the garden area with mature trees and plants, and adding a designated seating area on the terrace for staff to access outdoor space for rest and reflection during breaks.
Commenting on the role Fife Health Charity has played in the opening of the new centre, outgoing Chair of the charity, the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick, said:
“Fife Health Charity is delighted to have supported this innovative facility which will deliver high quality care for patients in Fife, bring teaching excellence, and provide a positive environment for the benefit of patients and staff in the years and decades ahead.
“From audio visual integration for surgical theatres to incorporate new technologies, to enhancing indoor and outdoor environments, funding by the Charity for this exciting new facility will help to establish and maintain Fife Orthopaedics as a centre for excellence that puts the wellbeing of patients and staff at its heart.”
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