The new Ninewells Hospital exhibition has now opened at V&A Dundee

Picture: Alex Coupar, courtesy of the University of Dundee Archive Services

A new exhibition at V&A Dundee is shining a spotlight on one of the city’s most important institutions – Ninewells Hospital – and its role in shaping the future of healthcare locally and globally.

Ninewells Hospital: Care, Community and Innovation opened this weekend and runs until Sunday 14 September 2025. It celebrates 50 years of groundbreaking medical advances, architectural innovation, and community care at the Dundee hospital.

The exhibition traces the story of Ninewells and wider medical milestones across Dundee and Tayside through an interactive timeline dating back to 1798. It showcases pioneering work in fields such as keyhole surgery, cancer care and IVF, many of which were developed through the partnership between NHS Tayside and the University of Dundee.

Visitors will be able to explore everything from prototype surgical tools to prosthetic limbs, including a wooden leg made in Dundee in 1947 and a modern Bluetooth-enabled prosthetic created specially for the exhibition.

A spotlight is also given to the Tayside Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Technology Centre – Scotland’s only facility offering in-house design and production of bespoke mobility aids.

The people behind Ninewells are central to the exhibition, with short films featuring porters, chefs, nurses and doctors sharing their personal stories. There is also artwork created during the COVID-19 pandemic reflecting the experiences of both staff and patients. Visitors are encouraged to contribute their own memories to a growing public display.

Louise Dickson, Assistant Curator at V&A Dundee, said: “Dundee has long been home to medical innovation, changing lives across the globe. From pioneers in IVF and keyhole surgery to revolutionary hospital design, the exhibition showcases the city’s ongoing legacy of progress and care. It highlights how Ninewells Hospital continues to evolve, delivering healthcare around the clock to thousands of people.

“Most people living in Dundee or Tayside have a connection to Ninewells. Whether you or a family member were born there, studied there, or know someone who has been treated there, it touches all of us. This exhibition will spark memories, pride and powerful conversations.”

Dr Christina Beecroft, Associate Medical Director of NHS Tayside’s Surgical Division, also features in the exhibition. She said: “I am delighted to have been part of this amazing exhibition celebrating the past 50 years of Ninewells Hospital. Dundee, and Tayside, can quite rightly be very proud of Ninewells.

“It is a fantastic hospital that has been at the forefront of some of the most major developments in medicine and surgery over the past 50 years. More importantly, it is a fundamental part of the community and locally integral to all our lives, both as patients and members of the wonderful teams that work there.”

The exhibition is free to enter and was created in partnership with Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside, the Tayside Medical History Museum, and the NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.