The financial position remains challenging – to ensure that available capital funding can be directed to best effect, we are working with all health boards to develop an NHS whole system infrastructure plan for Scotland to inform investment priorities. The 2025-26 Budget confirmed our capital investment priorities for the next 5–7 years. The NHS whole system infrastructure planning work will inform our capital investment priorities beyond that.

The first phase of this was identifying immediate building maintenance and equipment replacement priorities to support service continuity. Boards submitted their risk-assessed priorities in January 2025 and, following review, Boards have received confirmation of which items can be progressed.

The next stage will consider long-term investment priorities and Boards – including NHS Grampian – have been instructed to undertake strategic assessments with returns required during 2026-27 and by not later than 31 March 2027.

A key part of this work is the development of an infrastructure investment strategy programme for primary care as announced in the Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline on 13 January 2026. An initial tranche of 12 projects has been selected for their health, population demographic and estate needs. Work on three initial projects will start immediately to create and pilot a standardised approach towards design and procurement – this will be used to improve the efficiency of delivery of all future schemes. It is intended that there will be further, future tranches of investment across the primary care estate, which will consider other areas of need.