The wider community benefits of a major capital investment in a new hospital

This case study outlines the considerations and components that are forming a new future health ecosystem for Lanarkshire with the new Monklands hospital at its centre.

Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) is NHS Lanarkshire’s exciting vision for University Hospital Monklands (UHM) and the community it serves, proposing major investment in Lanarkshire’s hospital estate by rebuilding the hospital on a new site at Wester Moffat, near Airdrie. A new, state-of-the-art, net-zero carbon UHM will support the required clinical model to meet objectives set out in NHS Lanarkshire’s healthcare strategy 'Achieving Excellence'.

The decision to relocate the existing hospital will create a ripple effect that responds to desired healthcare outcomes and addresses the region’s stated socio-economic needs. Lanarkshire’s local authorities have carried out extensive community engagement activities and work with local organisations to develop their Locality Outcome Improvement Plans (North) and Community Improvement Plan (South). This extensive and detailed work has been harnessed by the MRP project and utilised to establish wider regional objectives to address community needs, social outcomes and foster a new regenerative identity.

This major capital investment is a transformative event that brings benefits to the wider community. Beyond improving healthcare services, it will stimulate economic growth, create jobs, promote social equity and foster public health initiatives. Additionally, such an investment will drive infrastructure development, enhance environmental sustainability and contribute to medical education and research. As a cornerstone of community wellbeing, the hospital will serve as both a symbol and a driver of progress, offering long-lasting benefits that extend well beyond its walls. The new Monklands hospital has the potential to become the foundation for a longer-term vision for healthcare delivery in Scotland. Its traditional procurement route has allowed the NHS Lanarkshire clinical team far greater control over the detailed development of the design. These clinical components – rooms, suites, cores, equipment – are transferable, available as an up-to-date library, driving updated guidance.

This case study outlines the considerations and components that are forming a new future health ecosystem for Lanarkshire with the new Monklands hospital at its centre. It will explain the economic stimulation the project will foster, the improved access to quality healthcare for the whole region, the broader ‘sickness to wellness’ health promotion and disease prevention shifts, the focus on community hubs where various social services are integrated, the rebirth and repurposing of the existing Monklands site as a key future component in the wider healthcare ecosystem and, finally, the catalytic effect of the new hospital on the development of improved infrastructure and national healthcare design standards.

Learning Objectives