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CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT BRINGS WINDFALL FOR CAITHNESS GENERAL HOSPITAL Health services in the far north have picked up a near �8,000 windfall from the decommissioning of Dounreay.
The construction team wanted to mark the completion of the project by giving something back to the community, as UKAEA project manager Mark Aitken explained. "Everyone at Dounreay wants to see the local area get the maximum possible benefit from the large amount of work being awarded in contracts to decommission the site, so we came up with the idea of attaching an appeal fund for the hospital to this project. "I'm delighted to say that the main contractor on this project, the Robertson Group, was fully behind the idea of leaving something behind to benefit the local community once the contract was complete. Both Robertson Group and UKAEA gave generous donations to kick-start the fund, sub-contractors and suppliers also contributed and other donations came from individuals working on the new office block. "Some gave a one-off donation, others routinely gave the change they received after paying for their lunch in the adjacent restaurant and it all started to add up. There was also a giant bottle at the construction site entrance, so people visiting the site, for whatever purpose, had the opportunity to contribute. It reflects great credit on all these people who, by their generosity, entered into the spirit of the fund scheme and raised a total of �7,620." Colin MacKinnon, construction manager with the Robertson Group, said: "As a group we were very happy to be associated with worthwhile schemes such as this one that provide useful equipment to the local community." Some of the money has been used to purchase two medicine trolleys. "These trolleys are in constant use around the wards and are used for dispensing medicine and tablets," said nursing manager Pauline Craw. "We also bought two Dinamap machines which record blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation. These machines provide post-operative information, and their addition is very welcome. We greatly appreciate the generosity of everyone associated with this fund raising effort." The construction work is now complete and the new office accommodation has been handed over to UKAEA. During its 12-month construction phase, the project created employment for approximately 75 people, most of whom were employed by local sub-contractors. The building will house 300 staff relocated from other areas of the site, some of whom are currently working in temporary accommodation that needs to be demolished to make way for the construction of major new plants for handling waste from the decommissioning programme. Notes UKAEA is currently spending �140-150 million a year on decommissioning Dounreay. This is worth approximately �75 million a year to the economy of the Highlands. |
