Hospital to cost taxpayer £842m

An artist's impression of the new Southern General Hospital

A new "superhospital" on the site of Glasgow's Southern General could cost the taxpayer £842m, according to the local health board.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has recommended public funding over private in its case to the Scottish Government.

It plans to deliver an adult hospital with 1,109 beds and a 240-bedded children's hospital by 2014.

Glasgow City Council has already granted outline planning permission for the development.

Tom Divers, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow, said: "This is an exciting time on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the NHS to be taking forward plans to create a showpiece major hospital development in the heart of Glasgow.

"This outline business case is a key milestone in realising that ambition."

Workforce savings

The development would signal the end of acute services at the Western Infirmary and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill.

In-patient acute services would also be transferred from the Victoria Infirmary.

The health board said there would be "workforce savings" as a result of operating across fewer hospital sites.

A spokeswoman said: "We also expect the move to three sites to lead to a modest reduction in the overall number of nursing posts, which will be managed in a planned way through natural turnover over the next six years."

The Scottish Government will now consider the outline business case.