Health hubs get cash for more upgrades

THORNHILL and Kirkcudbright are set to receive a share of £800,000 as part of an upgrade to their recently established health hubs.

The investment marks the start of the major transformation phase of Right Care, Right Place - the programme reshaping how support is delivered closer to home throughout the region.

An update was presented on Monday to the region’s Integration Joint Board, which heard that while four sites, including both town’s former cottage hospitals turned health hubs, already host a growing range of services, their full potential will only be realised once the redesign work is complete.

Presenting the report, general manager for community health and social care Stephanie Mottram said: “The programme is progressing steadily, with important foundations now in place for full hub development over the coming year.

“We are starting to see these sites used in more varied ways. Outpatient appointments, vaccination sessions, Home Teams bases and community-sector activities are all being delivered, but the major physical transformation is still ahead of us.

“The next stage will give us the modern, purpose-designed spaces needed to deliver the full hub model residents expect.”

Work on the site is scheduled between February and May 2026 to create hybrid workspaces, consulting rooms, group clinical areas and improved rehabilitation facilities.

Responding to the update, IJB chair Kim Dams said the board welcomed the progress but recognised that much of the visible change was still to come.

She said: “We are moving in the right direction, but the real test will be delivering a fully operational hub model that residents can clearly experience.

“Our priority now is ensuring the next phase is sustainable, well evidenced and genuinely improves outcomes for the people of Dumfries and Galloway.”