The state-of-the-art facility is being constructed by Laing O'Rourke on 130 hectares of NHS-owned land, which formerly housed the Royal Scottish National Hospital.

Ian Mullen, NHS Forth Valley chairman, maintains the public will benefit from the modern, high quality services which the new hospital will provide.

He said: "Our vision for healthcare in Forth Valley is in line with national policy.

''We believe that where possible patients should be treated closer to home in community hospitals and health centres.

''When they do have to come into hospital, services should be focused on their needs and provided in purpose-designed facilities."

Costing £293 million, the new hospital is on target to have the initial phase handed over in December next year, with the first patients scheduled to move in during May 2010.

The second phase should be open for business by August that year and the hospital fully operational by April 2011.

However, the acute care building is only part of NHS Forth Valley's integrated health strategy, which has been designed to keep as much medical care as possible close to people's homes.

The Larbert facility will be backed up by four community hospitals in Falkirk, Bo'ness, Stirling and Sauchie which will be part of the package to reduce the need for patients to attend the acute hospital.

Those who do need to stay in hospital will be treated in an 860-bed building which will be one of the most up-to-date and innovative healthcare facilities in the country.

Patients and clinicians have been involved in the design process from the start and their views taken on board.

Robotic trolleys will be used to transport patient meals, laundry and supplies around the building, which will be the size of nine football pitches, but in separate corridors from those used by patients and visitors.

NHS Forth Valley will pay £33 million annually to 'rent' the building from the developers and in return will receive a range of services, including: existing support services such as portering, catering and cleaning; security and parking management; and a fully maintained building which, after 30 years, will belong to the NHS.

Almost 60 weeks into the building project, the new hospital is rapidly becoming a symbol for the NHS in the 21st century and, when operational, will be a far cry from the hospital and healthcare services provided at the birth of the NHS in 1948.