Earlier this year, NHS Lanarkshire announced its intention to replace the current Monklands Hospital.

This would be either on the current site in Airdrie or on a new location in North Lanarkshire.

Colin Sloey, director of strategic planning and performance, said: “The Monklands redevelopment is a key part of our healthcare strategy. The planning and approval process has already begun on this exciting new project to replace or fully refurbish the existing Monklands Hospital.

“This will provide us with a unique opportunity to further develop our specialist acute hospital services and centres of excellence and fully integrate these with community-based health and social care services.

“We have to follow due process and get Scottish Government approval, which we expect to take two to three years to complete, before building work can start. However, we estimate that, all going well, the new hospital could be complete in around seven years.”

People’s views are one of a number of important factors that will be taken into account to determine the preferred option for where in the current Monklands catchment area the new development will be.

With the approval of the Scottish Government, this will provide a facility, with 450-500 beds, which will serve the people of the whole of Lanarkshire for the next 40 years, and will likely see over £400m invested in the Lanarkshire healthcare system.

Dr Rory MacKenzie, chief of medical services at Monklands Hospital, said: “It is fantastic news for our patients and staff that NHS Lanarkshire is starting to make plans for this development.

“Our staff work tremendously hard to provide an excellent standard of care at Monklands and these options open up exciting opportunities to further enhance this.

“It is important that the hospital community – patients, staff and the local population – take this opportunity to give us their views.”

NHS Lanarkshire is preparing a business case for a major new development to replace the existing Monklands Hospital, creating a modern infrastructure that will help to support the redesign of service models for both hospital and community care.

Your views are one of a number of important factors that will be taken into account to determine the preferred option for the new development.

Which of the following options do you prefer?

a Continue to maintain the existing hospital buildings

b Partial redevelopment on the existing site – this would include redeveloping some of the existing hospital in addition to adding new buildings to replace some wards and other departments

c Complete redevelopment on the existing site – build a new hospital on the Monklands site to replace most of the existing buildings

d Complete new build elsewhere in North Lanarkshire – build a new hospital within the Monklands catchment area. (If this is selected as the preferred option, the final location would then be determined as part of the planning process.)

Let us know your views by completing the consultation questionnaire at www.nhslanarkshire.org.uk/Involved/consultation/healthcare-strategy or by emailing your comments to hcsviews@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk