Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell has welcomed the announcement of £200 million of new funding to build a new hospital in Dumfries. However, the local MP still has concerns about the transportation and infrastructure that will support the hospital which will be built on a new site situated on farmland at the Garroch roundabout at the western end of the Dumfries by-pass. Mr Mundell also believes it is important that health officials and planners give consideration to the views that have been raised by some in the region about the benefits of retaining multi patient rooms.
Speaking following the announcement Mr Mundell said: “The announcement that the funding has been approved is the next step in getting the new hospital up and running and will be welcomed by people across the region. Having a new state of the art hospital will now ensure that the quality of care and health service people receive locally will continue to improve and will be secure for years to come.”
Commenting on the transportation and infrastructure issues Mr Mundell said: “I accept that the Garroch Farm site will provide much better access to acute hospital services for patients across Dumfries and Galloway however I want to make sure that accessibility applies equally to the east of the region. The last thing I want to do is put a dampener on the plans but I just want to be clear that the whole thing has been thought through and we don't end up with problems after the event as we have seen before, when Cresswell and the College were moved.
"Now the plans are definitely going ahead we also need to make sure that proper arrangements for public transport are in place. The new location will lead to a major change in bus routes in and around Dumfries and again I want to ensure that has all been thought through to allow ease of access for my constituents in Annandale & Eskdale and Upper Nithsdale."