The £48 million development of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital may just be the first phase but it has now been completed and the keys have been handed over to NHS Lothian.
We visited last week when Finance Secretary Derek Mackay met with representatives from Morrison Construction and NHS Lothian for a photo call ahead of his first budget.
The new buildings are built on land which used to be the farm associated with the Royal Edinburgh. All of the bedrooms to be used for inpatients have en-suites and are on the ground floor.
This includes the Royal Edinburgh building, an inpatient facility for adults with acute mental health needs, an older people’s mental health assessment unit, Intensive Psychiatric Care Service and the new Robert Fergusson national brain injury unit.
Professor Alex McMahon, Chair of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital campus project board, NHS Lothian, said: “We are delighted that we now have the keys to the new buildings.
“A lot of hard work has gone into reaching this important stage in the project and, while we are not yet at a stage to moving services into the buildings, it does represent a significant milestone in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital campus redevelopment.
“Throughout this process we have involved, listened to and taken on board the views of patients, staff and the public and we are confident that these new facilities will provide excellent mental healthcare to adults and older people in Lothian.”
Here is the new Royal Edinburgh Hospital which has just been handed over to @nhslothian pic.twitter.com/2bEzlvYPs6
— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) December 21, 2016
David Wilson, Operations Director for Morrison Construction, said: “Morrison Construction was appointed by Hub South East and NHS Lothian to deliver the new Royal Edinburgh Hospital campus phase one and we are delighted to have fulfilled this goal.
“The new hospital is a first class facility and will transform and enhance healthcare for patients and staff and I very much look forward to seeing the hospital campus up-and-running and welcoming patients in 2017.
“Morrison is proud to have played a part in this project and we look forward to working with all stakeholders on future phases of this significant development.”
The redevelopment of the rest of the campus is planned in two more phased stages, subject to full business case approval and financial close. Phase two will include a new Integrated Rehabilitation Facility, a newly refurbished MacKinnon House and a new Facilities Management Centre.
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