This significant development will see an investment of over £20 million on one of the most modern state-of-the-art health centres in Scotland.
The innovative design of the new centre will support both the current and developing needs and expectations of the local population and has been comprehensively supported in the local community.
Making the first cut in the soil, Andrew said: "I am delighted to be cutting the first sod in this significant development which when completed in 2013 will offer a state-of-the-art health and care facility for the local population.
"In its Vision for the Vale, the Health Board made an explicit commitment to delivering a substantially enhanced replacement for the existing Alexandria Medical Centre on the Vale of Leven Hospital site. In beginning the construction of this facility we will have delivered the Vision for the Vale in full."
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "I am delighted that work is now underway on the new Alexandria Centre on the Vale of Leven hospital site.
"The £20.8m health and care centre will enable improved access for local communities to a variety of services, and will deliver modern health care within a new state-of-the-art facility. In particular, the integrated dental complex will bring together a range of dental services under the same roof, enabling patients to benefit from closer links with acute dental services within the Vale of Leven Hospital site.
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"This is part our £2 billion capital investment programme and will deliver real benefit to patients."
This new state-of-the-art facility will provide three large general practices, dietetics, podiatry, speech and language therapy, primary care mental health, physiotherapy and A large dental complex including a general dental practice.
It will also provide a local base for the local district nursing team, health visiting team, prescribing support team, integrated health and social care team and training and education facilities.
Keith Redpath, Direc tor of West Dunbartonshire Community Health and Care Partnership, said: "The delivery of a new health and care centre for the Vale of Leven area has been an ambition within West Dunbartonshire for over a decade now.
"Our vision is that the new centre creates a welcoming and therapeutic environment for the people from the local area to use and for our staff and our GP and dental contractor partners to deliver services from."
Laing O’Rourke Scotland has been appointed as the Primary Supply Chain Partner (PSCP) and their Operations Manager, Steven Irvine said: "Laing O’Rourke is delighted to have been appointed to design and deliver this significant community project.
"Through close collaboration with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and West Dunbartonshire Community Health and Care Partnership, we are confident that we have developed an exciting and contemporary design solution that delivers best value for money and 21st century community care for the residents of Alexandria and the wider area."
External Project Managers, Turner & Townsend are also delighted to have been involved in the project.
Colin Meharg, Senior Project Manager, Turner & Townsend, said: "We are rightly proud that even in the current climate of restricted capital funding, we have developed a scheme that will greatly improve the clinical service available to the Vale of Leven community.
"The design is highly innovative and makes the best possible use of the location's natural aspects.
"Our goal is to ensure that the project serves as a benchmark not just for good design, but also for the targeted and efficient use of public money."
(GK)
