Patients can now attend diabetes clinics at the new Highland Diabetes Institute following completion of the third phase of the Centre for Health Science (Ionad Eòlas Slàinte) this week.
To coincide with the completion of the building, the lead architects, Keppie, have donated £500 to a charity nominated by the Centre for Health Science (CfHS) - Inverness and District Group of Diabetes UK Scotland.
The final phase accommodates the Highland Diabetes Institute (HDI) - a development that gives the Highlands and Islands a leading edge in diabetes research and patient care.
The £23m Centre for Health Science (CfHS) has been developed and is owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), bringing together the public, private and academic sectors in healthcare and biotechnology, encouraging their growth, interaction and innovation.
A unique partnership between NHS Highland, UHI and LifeScan Scotland, the HDI will accommodate diabetes experts in the Highlands and Islands. The region has more than 11,000 patients with diabetes and one of the highest numbers of children with of Type-1 diabetes in the world.
Gillian Galloway, CfHS director said that the HDI will not only promote a high standard of patient care and teaching but will also pursue scientific and clinical research, aiming to become a centre for excellence in the field.
The NHS Diabetes Centre has moved to the HDI and now has more modern facilities as it is estimated that around 300 people will attend the clinics every week.
Chris Claridge, chairman of the Inverness and District Support Group of Diabetes UK, is delighted that better facilities are available in Inverness. He said: "The new unit will provide specialist medical and nursing care as well as out-patient clinics including podiatry and dietary advice, and the regional retinal screening service. We are grateful for any outcomes to help those with diabetes and we thank Keppie for their generous donation to our charity."
Mike Lawson, divisional director with Keppie Design in Inverness said: "We are delighted to be involved with the development of the Centre for Health Science. It is a very exciting project and our team have helped create a building that increases the opportunities for people to work together and produce good results. This is great news for everyone who will be educated, receive care or use the products and ideas developed in the Centre."
UHI department of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Science is jointly directed by Ian Megson, Lifescan chair of diabetes and Sandra MacRury, clinical professor of diabetes who both will be based in this third phase.
Lifescan Scotland Ltd is the market leader in the development and manufacture of blood glucose monitoring systems for diabetes. Their tenancy in the HDI will provide the company with a higher level of patient and medical staff interaction, enabling a deeper understanding of user needs and the management of diabetes and closer research links with UHI.
A Clinical Research Facility (CRF) is also housed within the HDI and was recently awarded funding by HIE to provide a special environment for high quality clinical research. Significant opportunities will be provided for scientists to work more closely with clinical researchers, enabling the development of new therapies and treatments, and speeding up scientific advances into real benefits for patients and new products and services for business.
An official opening to mark the completion of the whole building will take place on January 19 2009 attended by Jim Mather, MSP, Minister for Enterprise. There will also be an open day on January 20 when the public will have the opportunity to see the CfHS in operation.