The exercise to score the three potential sites for the Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) – Gartcosh, Glenmavis and Wester Moffat – began yesterday following approval of the process by the board of NHS Lanarkshire.

The postal scoring exercise - with options to participate by telephone or online if preferred - has been designed by independent public engagement experts at the Consultation Institute (tCI) in a way that can be safely undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

NHS Lanarkshire director of property, planning and performance, Colin Lauder, said: “tCI will manage the process, issue all documentation and collate all the responses. They’ll also provide a free telephone helpline throughout to support participants.

“Over 400 people - more than three-quarters of them members of the public - will receive a letter in the next few days, inviting them to participate in the process, which will run during July and August.

“The people being asked to participate are all those members of the community and staff who either self-nominated to take part in the scoring process earlier this year or who indicated a preference to be further involved through a representative survey which was also undertaken.”

Five non-financial ‘benefits criteria’, developed following public input, will be used to evaluate the sites through a process of weighting and scoring.

• Travel times by road and public transport – patients;
• Travel times by road and public transport – staff;
• Access/connectivity to NHS regional centres;
• Contamination;
• Impact of cross-border flow (ie patients from Glasgow attending the hospital).

tCI will calculate the final scores, taking into account proportionate representation from geographical locations and staff groups.

Colin Lauder added: “This process will provide a score for the non-financial benefits of the sites. NHS Lanarkshire will then undertake a process to assess the financial benefits by incorporating the overall project cost for each site. This will be published in a report on the scoring process to inform a two-week public feedback period after scoring.

“It’s important to stress that the outcome of scoring will not be a final decision on a hospital location. It will be only one factor which will be considered by NHS Lanarkshire’s Board, along with all of the other evidence collected during public and staff engagement, in identifying a preferred option for the new site.”

The board’s preferred option will be a recommendation to the cabinet secretary for health and sport, Jeane Freeman, who will make a final decision on the location of the new hospital.