A specialist psychiatric hospital in Inverness has officially been handed over to NHS Highland following the conclusion of a 25-year private finance model.
Built in 2000, New Craigs provides care to people across the Highlands with mental illness and learning disabilities.
The 234-bed hospital was one of a number of facilities built under a private finance initiative (PFI), with the Robertson Group and Dalmore Investments footing the bill for construction and maintenance in exchange for an annual fee.
Construction was estimated to cost £16.5m, however, a BBC investigation in 2023 suggested the health board would end up paying more than £100m to bring the facility into public ownership.
NHS Highland chief executive Fiona Davies welcomed the transfer of the facility, and stressed there would be no impact on services.
She said: “We are grateful to Robertson Facilities Management for their management of the facilities within the hospital.
“The building is in excellent condition.”
She said the handover was a “great example of joint working between the public and private sector” to deliver health services across the Highlands.
The facility, in the Leachkin area of the city, has grown in the past 25 years to provide further services including dementia care and drug and alcohol recovery.
