A nurse, a fourth year medical student and a ‘simulated patient’ will help cut the first turf on the site where a multi-million pound state-of-the-art centre is being built for the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian.
The new £18.5M medical teaching and training complex being constructed on the health campus at Foresterhill will result in trainee doctors - for the first time - being able to learn basic biomedical sciences such as anatomy at the same time as learning clinical skills in a safe educational environment.
Currently, anatomy is taught across town at Marischal College, but the new building will allow the teaching of anatomy and other sciences to be fully integrated with clinical training.
But it's not just medical undergraduates who will benefit from the new build. The complex - currently known as the Matthew Hay project - will provide the very latest training facilities for qualified health professionals from all disciplines keen to keep their skills right up to date.
The project will provide among the finest clinical skills training facilities in the UK. They are designed for delivery of a full range of clinical skills training away from the busy hospital setting. This includes a first class ward environment, where our simulated patients – volunteers - help students and staff hone their communication and examination skills, as well as providing the latest equipment for practising clinical procedures.
City construction company Mansell has been awarded the contract to deliver the five-storey 4,000 square metre building which has been designed to achieve an excellent sustainable BREEAM rating.
The building - which will also include a conference suite, a lecture theatre, a telemedicine room, display space for medical artefacts and a café – is expected to open in 2009.
"This first class facility is bound to attract even more top quality medical students and staff to the North-east of Scotland.
"The Matthew Hay project is also great news for the people of the North-east of Scotland because the new facility will allow health professionals to keep all of their clinical skills right up to date and also learn ones."
Alan Gall, Director of Finance with NHS Grampian, said: "The Matthew Hay project is an inspirational development for the North-east of Scotland and will enhance the teaching and learning of healthcare professionals through the 21st century. NHS Grampian is delighted to be a major partner in this initiative, which will further develop the Foresterhill campus."
George Hood, Divisional Managing
The Matthew Hay project has also had en enthusiastic response from local companies, charitable trusts, medical graduates and patients who have given generously to its fundraising appeal which is led by Sir Graeme Catto, President of the General Medical Council.
Professor Logan, Mr Gall, Doug Duncan, Mansell's Business Development Manager, and Richard Hore, Mansell's Technical Manager, will be joined at today's turf cutting by Stuart Stephen who is a nurse, Danielle Gibson a medical student and Mike Simmonds a simulated or pretend patient who is one of a number of people who come in and help with the training of medical students.
There will also be a digger on site.