Plan for Psychiatric Hospital at ERI Site

By Linda Summerhayes, Health Reporter

HEALTH chiefs are considering building a new psychiatric hospital on the same site as the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

The move would create a new health super-campus at Little France, which has also been earmarked as a possible location for a new children’s hospital.

It spells the end of plans to build a new GBP 60 million psychiatric facility next to the crumbling Royal Edinburgh Hospital which is due to close.

Plans were unveiled in 2003 for a new 350-bed facility on land beside the Morningside Terrace hospital. But health chiefs have been forced back to the drawing board because new Scottish Executive health policies demand that hospital services are located closer together. Greater emphasis has also been placed providing health services in the community.

A progress report on the shake-up of hospital services in the Lothians reveals an area at the south-eastern corner of the Little France site is being considered as a good location for a new hospital.

The document also states that bosses are looking at various community locations, as well as the Western General Hospital, as possible places where psychiatric care can be delivered. It is understood some services may be retained at the Royal Edinburgh site.

Murray Duncanson, the chief operating officer of NHS Lothian’s Primary Care Organisation, said: “In July 2005, NHS Lothian received formal approval to proceed with its strategic change programme, Improving Care, Investing in Change, from the Scottish Executive Health Department.

“This programme sets out the improvements to patient care and service provision needed over the next five years to provide the best possible acute hospital services, older people’s services and mental health and wellbeing services across Lothian.

“The project to reprovide the Royal Edinburgh Hospital’s services in new accommodation is a key part of this programme and work is continuing to take this forward involving staff and other key stakeholders.

“This is a complex piece of work and it is too early to be clear about definitive siting options outside of the current Royal Edinburgh hospital site.”

The Royal Edinburgh is in the North Morningside ward and local councillor Liz O’Malley said the relocation of the hospital would be a loss for the community.

“The hospital has a long association with Morningside and it is part of the community. I think if it moved elsewhere, people would find it harder to visit loved ones and I think that could be a problem,” she said.

Mike Pringle, the MSP for Edinburgh South, said he was surprised to hear that the new psychiatric hospital was no longer planned for Morningside.

He expressed concern about an original deal which was done for a new primary school on land owned by the health board.

Mr Pringle said: “I feel real disappointment that that’s what they are going to do. The health board said, when the Royal Edinburgh site was moved on, then they would give the council some land to build a new primary.

“I’ve a grandson in primary five who was promised a new school when he started and he’s still waiting. The question I will be raising is, what is their commitment to giving some land up to a new primary school.”

But Mr Pringle said if more services are transferred to Little France then transport links might improve.