Work starts on joint SIC/NHS centre
CONSTRUCTION work on a new £2.3 million occupational therapy and community nursing centre in Lerwick begins on Monday.
Shetland Islands Council’s community care spokesman Councillor Cecil Smith will cut the first turf at the Point of Scattland site at Gremista for a building which will provide the islands’ first central base for the service.
The council and NHS Shetland will share office facilities once the building is completed in the summer of 2012.
Disabled people will be able to try out and receive instruction on a range of therapeutic equipment once the centre is completed.
Joint SIC/NHS occupational therapy service manager Josephine Robinson said the building would allow both organisations to provide a unified service to clients.
“Equipment storage and maintenance, training, consultation and administration for occupational and speech therapy will all be in one easily accessible location,” she said.
The new building will store equipment such as electric beds, electric chairs, hoists and shower chairs and small items such as bath aids, bed and chair raisers, toilet frames, as well as wheelchairs belonging to NHS Grampian.
The top floor will have a large demonstration area with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom to allow people to test out equipment. It will also be used for training and other sessions, such as wheelchair clinics.
A speech therapy suite incorporating office and consulting rooms will also be situated on the top floor.
The middle floor will consist of office space for occupational therapy staff and further storage for smaller items of equipment.
Local contractor MK Leslie are carrying out the enabling works, with the main construction going out to tender in April so that work can commence during this summer.
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