Plans have been approved to either rebuild or refurbish Monklands Hospital in North Lanarkshire.

The Initial Agreement (IA) sets out a shortlist of four options to be considered at outline business case stage; do minimum, full refurbishment of current hospital, new-build on current hospital site or new-build on another site.

NHS Lanarkshire will now start work to develop an outline business case followed by a full business case, both of which would in turn require Scottish Government approval.

Dr Rory Mackenzie, Chief of Medical Services at Monklands Hospital, said despite investing £35 million over the last six years, parts of the hospital will never be able to be brought up to the required standards "to deliver high-quality 21st Century healthcare".

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"It is fantastic news for our patients and staff that we are moving ahead with plans for this development," he said.

Colin Lauder, Interim Project Director for the Monklands Project, said: "No preferred option has been identified at this stage. Each of the four options is described in terms of their pros and cons which includes programme duration and potential costs. We will continue to work with stakeholders in the development of the outline business case into 2018."

Colin Sloey, NHS Lanarkshire Director of Strategic Planning & Performance, added: "We are delighted that the board has formally approved the Initial Agreement. This document describes the proposals for this major investment to either build a brand new hospital or extensively refurbish the accommodation at Monklands Hospital.

"The current assumption is that the funding for this project will be a capital allocation to support a traditionally funded capital build. As such, the Initial Agreement will now be submitted to the Scottish Government Capital Investment Group for consideration in March. We would hope to be given the go-ahead to complete the business case at that point in time."

(LM)