Thursday November 12th 2026
Borders General Hospital
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Borders General Hospital is to be renamed after it was granted a significant status symbol, it was announced today.
The facility just outside of Melrose has been formally recognised as a University Hospital, strengthening its established partnership with Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University and bringing clinical practice, education and research closer together.
The status recognises the hospital’s established contribution to education, practice-based learning and professional development, and reflects the strength of partnership working across Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions (AHPs).
It also creates new opportunities for nurses, midwives and AHPs, alongside students, to take part in research, innovation and service improvement.
As part of the new status, Borders General Hospital will formally be known as Borders General University Hospital, reflecting its role within the partnership.
NHS Borders will remain the name of the health board.
Changes to signage, stationery, information and other places where the hospital name appears will take place in due course as the new name is introduced.
The partnership brings together Queen Margaret University’s expertise in education and applied research with NHS Borders’ clinical experience and understanding of delivering healthcare in a remote and rural setting.
An early priority will be to establish an Academic in Residence, working across both organisations to strengthen evaluation, research and improvement and demonstrate the impact of our work on practice and patient outcomes.
NHS Borders will also develop clinical academic roles, creating pathways for staff to combine clinical expertise with education, research and improvement, and helping to grow academic capability within NHS Borders.
Further priorities include frailty and musculoskeletal care, professional development and developing new opportunities for our future health and care workforce.
University Hospital status also supports NHS Borders’ Organisational and Clinical Strategies by strengthening partnership working and using learning and innovation to improve health care across the region.
Michelle O’Reilly, Chief Nurse Clinical and Professional Development at NHS Borders, said: “Education is fundamental to patient safety and high-quality care. Continuous learning and professional development are essential to ensuring we can respond to changing healthcare needs and build on the strengths and expertise that already exist across NHS Borders.
“This partnership creates new opportunities for our staff to learn, develop and innovate, bringing together clinical and academic expertise to support ongoing improvement, enhance patient outcomes and strengthen safe effective, person-centred care and rights-based care.
“For a smaller health board, this partnership gives us an important opportunity to strengthen our academic and research profile and create clinical academic pathways that might traditionally be associated with larger organisations.
“Crucially, it will help us build on the excellent work already happening across NHS Borders and become better at evaluating and demonstrating its impact. Through our partnership with Queen Margaret University, we can translate learning, evidence and research into meaningful improvements for our patients, staff and communities.”
Peter Moore, Chief Executive of NHS Borders, said: “University Hospital status is a significant milestone for NHS Borders and a powerful statement about our ambition for the future.
“This is much more than a change of name. It creates new opportunities for our staff and students, strengthens our ability to attract, develop and retain the workforce of the future and increases our capacity to turn research and innovation into better care.
“Our partnership with Queen Margaret University allows us to combine our strengths and build our academic and research capability.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved, but even more excited about what University Hospital status will enable us to achieve together for our workforce, our patients and the communities of the Scottish Borders.”
Fiona Sandford, Chair of NHS Borders, said: “Achieving University Hospital status is an exciting and important step for NHS Borders. It recognises the contribution our teams already make to learning and education and gives us the opportunity to build on that achievement with Queen Margaret University.
“My previous career in universities showed me the great strengths that come from partnering academic expertise and research with practice. Most importantly, this is about using knowledge, evidence and learning to improve care for the people and communities we serve.”
The partnership will be reviewed annually, with progress considered across key areas including workforce development, student experience, research activity and service improvement.
Tweet Share on FacebookNews
