Hospital site decision set to take place

The Orkney NHS Board meeting to choose a site for the new hospital and healthcare facility for Orkney takes place in Kirkwall tonight.

In the agenda for the meeting, NHS Orkney chief executive Cathie Cowan makes a recommendation that Scapa be identified by the board for the site, however no decision has yet been made.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6pm in the King Street Halls.

The board will meet in private earlier in the day to discuss the issue, with the decision on the site expected to take place in public this evening.

Last week NHS Orkney revealed that 80 per cent of just over 5000 people who responded to the public consultation supported the Scapa site, with the sites at Grainbank and Corse West gaining far less favour with the public.

However, NHS Orkney said that the site selection would have to be balanced along with other advice and information gained on each location.

The consultation into the issue was said to have attracted the greatest number of responses of any consultation ever held in Orkney.