The Immersive Suite uses the latest technology to bring to life plans for the new University Hospital Monklands, set to open at Wester Moffat, Airdrie, in 2031.

The suite has a 900sq ft lecture theatre where sections of the hospital can be projected on three walls to give visitors an immersive experience and let them see departments and rooms at life size or on a grand scale. This includes areas such as a patient bedroom, an operating theatre, a consultation room and the Emergency Department waiting area.

There is also a control room – an area of big screens that mirrors the command centre that will be in the new hospital, providing real-time monitoring of key factors such as Emergency Department activity and ward occupancy rates.

The suite will support engagement during design development and hospital construction and occupation. It will also provide a venue for elements of the project's vital Community Benefits programme, which focuses on job creation, apprenticeships, learning opportunities, support for businesses large and small, and environmental enhancements.

Gray said: ‘The suite is a great opportunity for the NHS staff and the Lanarkshire public to visualise what is to come in this project, which is incredibly important for the local community and for Scotland.

‘The eyes of the nation are on the MRP as it works to deliver a state-of-the-art hospital, which will be environmentally friendly and future-proofed through its design and the digital technology it will use.'

Colin Lauder, NHS Lanarkshire interim chief executive, added: 'The Immersive Suite opening represents yet another important step forward on our journey to create a new state-of-the-art hospital for the communities of Lanarkshire.

'It's an ideal facility for our colleagues and the community to engage on the plans as we continue to develop our Full Business Case, with the aim of submitting it to the Scottish Government by the end of this year.'