Health chiefs have been sent back to the drawing board on plans for Laing O’Rourke to build a £2.1bn replacement for Monklands Hospital after ministers refused to sign off the scheme over affordability concerns.
Scottish health secretary Angela Constance said the proposed new hospital at Wester Moffat, near Airdrie, failed to represent value for money and ordered a “comprehensive redesign” of the project.
The decision throws fresh uncertainty over the programme and is likely to push back the target opening date of 2031.
Laing O’Rourke was lined up to deliver the major hospital project three years ago and was actively leading the enabling and preparatory earthworks at the site.
The proposed replacement hospital was approved by NHS Lanarkshire in December and had been billed as a “revolutionary blueprint” for healthcare in the region.
But ministers balked at the scale of investment required, with Constance revealing the project carried an estimated cost of around £5m per bed.
She said: “The current proposal for Monklands is significantly more expensive than comparable programmes and would represent an unprecedented concentration of capital investment in a single health project.
“This is not a decision I have taken lightly – we are fully committed to building a new hospital at Monklands. However, it is also my responsibility to ensure that major investment decisions are affordable, deliverable, and aligned with the future direction of our health and care system.”
A redesign exercise involving the Scottish Government, NHS Lanarkshire and regional partners will begin this summer, with revised proposals due to return to ministers in 2027.
While new plans are developed, targeted investment will be made to tackle infrastructure problems at the existing Monklands Hospital.
Constance also confirmed that core services, including A&E, will remain part of the replacement acute hospital.
The rethink comes despite a pledge in the SNP’s 2026 election manifesto to replace Monklands and forms part of a wider shift towards delivering more healthcare services in community-based hubs across Scotland.
Health chiefs have been sent back to the drawing board on plans for Laing O’Rourke to build a £2.1bn replacement for Monklands Hospital after ministers refused to sign off the scheme over affordability concerns.
Scottish health secretary Angela Constance said the proposed new hospital at Wester Moffat, near Airdrie, failed to represent value for money and ordered a “comprehensive redesign” of the project.
The decision throws fresh uncertainty over the programme and is likely to push back the target opening date of 2031.
Laing O’Rourke was lined up to deliver the major hospital project three years ago and was actively leading the enabling and preparatory earthworks at the site.
The proposed replacement hospital was approved by NHS Lanarkshire in December and had been billed as a “revolutionary blueprint” for healthcare in the region.
But ministers balked at the scale of investment required, with Constance revealing the project carried an estimated cost of around £5m per bed.
She said: “The current proposal for Monklands is significantly more expensive than comparable programmes and would represent an unprecedented concentration of capital investment in a single health project.
“This is not a decision I have taken lightly – we are fully committed to building a new hospital at Monklands. However, it is also my responsibility to ensure that major investment decisions are affordable, deliverable, and aligned with the future direction of our health and care system.”
A redesign exercise involving the Scottish Government, NHS Lanarkshire and regional partners will begin this summer, with revised proposals due to return to ministers in 2027.
While new plans are developed, targeted investment will be made to tackle infrastructure problems at the existing Monklands Hospital.
Constance also confirmed that core services, including A&E, will remain part of the replacement acute hospital.
The rethink comes despite a pledge in the SNP’s 2026 election manifesto to replace Monklands and forms part of a wider shift towards delivering more healthcare services in community-based hubs across Scotland.
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