It has been designed to revolutionise patient care in Scotland, cut waiting times and centralise a range of specialist clinics.

Yesterday, the state-of-the-art New Victoria hospital in Glasgow opened its doors to the first stream of patients.

The £100m facility is expected to treat more than 400,000 patients with a shift away from overnight stays towards day surgery.

The New Victoria will see an emphasis on outpatient care with just 12 surgical beds for those who have no one at home to help them post-operation.

Hospital officials expect just 2500 of the 400,000 patients will need to remain in the hospital overnight.

Specialists will perform more than 150 routine day surgery procedures, from hernia repair and tonsil removal to minor eye operations and infertility investigations.

Mother and daughter Georgina and Susan McNiven are both regular visitors to the Victoria Infirmary.

Georgina, 65, was in the new building for the first time - and said she was impressed by the bright, airy facilities.

The grandmother, from Newlands, Glasgow, said: "It looks lovely, what a big difference from the old building.

"If the new equipment will cut waiting times then I really look forward to receiving a quicker service.

"It's about time the money was invested in a new hospital - you were lucky to get a fresh lick of paint in the old place."

Susan is having treatment in the orthopedics department, which has yet to move to the new building.

The 30-year-old said: "I'm really looking forward to orthopedics moving here. The building is just so nice and welcoming.

"It will really make a difference to how patients feel."

The New Victoria does not have an accident and emergency unit, a move which prompted protest from the local community, but will have a minor injuries unit open 12 hours a day, seven days a week staffed by emergency nurse practitioners.

The hospital will both provide a wide range of outpatient clinics, day surgery and diagnostic services for people living in Glasgow's south side, as well as specialist health services such as cardiology, chemotherapy and gynaecology.

Currently, patients have to travel to a variety of hospitals across the city for these services.

Work began on the new building in December 2006 and was completed in early April by Balfour Beattie on budget and on schedule. It is expected to be fully operational on June 22.

Margaret O'Sullivan, a radiographer and obstetric ultrasound technician, has just started working at the New Victoria.

She says the hospital will make a huge difference to patients. She said: "We are all on a learning curve to get used to using the new equipment but the radiography equipment is fantastic.

"It saves us a lot of time which means we can deal with patients faster and will be able to see more patients in the same amount of time, cutting waiting lists.

"We can also adapt the equipment to the needs of the patient, so we can x-ray people standing up if that's better for them."

Porter staff have been the "hidden heroes" of the move to the New Victoria with employees coming in early to make sure everything was in order before patients arrived.

Harry Lloyd, a porter supervisor, said: "When we first got the keys to the new building the porters started coming early in the morning to get things set up.

"It's been a lot of hard work but the new hospital will make such a difference to us."

Alex McIntyre, programme director, said the hospital's aim was not only to look beautiful but also to deliver better models of care and efficiency.

Mr McIntyre said: "This was a unique opportunity to create an environment which focuses not only on technological advances in equipment, but also on the entire patient journey.

"To do this, we consulted with clinical staff from an early stage on how services might be redesigned around the needs of patients and then set about creating a hospital that would achieve this.

"I am very proud of what we have achieved."