Work to begin on new hospital for Dumfries and Galloway

Work on the new district general hospital for Dumfries and Galloway is due to begin within days.

The health board said funding is in place to allow the site in Dumfries to be prepared for construction.

Building work will begin within the next few months, ahead of its opening in late 2017.

There will be 350 beds in the hospital, which will be built on farmland off the Garroch roundabout at the western end of the town's by-pass.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said the milestone was an "exciting step forward" for the £270m project.

She added: "The hospital will provide a brand new emergency care department, a combined theatre complex for day surgery, endoscopy and surgical patients, and consolidated ambulatory care.

"These new facilities will transform healthcare in the Dumfries region, providing patients with the highest quality facilities in their local area."

Staff residences, a heli-pad and 980 parking spaces will also be part of the complex.