East Lothian Courier | News | Health care ‘rubbish’

Tuesday, 6th January, 2009

Published: Thursday, 15th May, 2008 08:05

Health care ‘rubbish’

COMMUNITY leaders feel that the town is being fobbed off with second best in future health care provision. And they have vowed to push for a wide range of medical services at the proposed primary health care centre.

Last week it was agreed that community councillors form a lobby group to maintain pressure on NHS officials to fulfill the “promises” made when plans for the health centre were first unveiled in 1990.

A public meeting will now be called to rally support from residents’ groups and individuals determined to fight for better medical provision than that suggested in recent bulletins from NHS Lothian.

Community councillors are livid that the centre – to be located at the former Brunton Wireworks site – has no provision for a minor injuries clinic, an acute medical facility or x-ray services.

A 60-bed unit for the elderly – supposed to replace the current in-patient ward at Edenhall — has also been thrown into doubt amid claims from NHS Lothian that demands for elderly care in the town have changed.

Echoing the words of NHS clinical director Gerry Powers when he addressed members two months ago, councillor Roger Knox told the community council that many elderly patients now preferred to receive treatment, where possible, at home rather than “in an institution”.

He said: “Things change all the time and demography changes.

“Most people would rather be in their own home than in an institution.

“The 60 bed unit has metamorphosised into something else. Some patients currently at Edenhall may be moved to Greenfield Park (nursing home) and some could be housed in the new unit in Tranent.

“Some will probably go to the Midlothian Community Hospital and the new East Lothian Community Hospital, in Haddington, which will replace Roodlands.”

Work on the East Lothian Community Hospital should begin in 2010, according to Councillor Knox.

The councillor for Musselburgh East/Carberry added that the NHS was deploying medical services for East Lothian in the most “equitable way” possible.

“If I was a person in Dunbar, I would not find it acceptable having a large scale hospital in Musselburgh because I do not have anything to that degree close by,” he said.

But vice-chair of the community council, Alan Hay, asked why residents should want to surrender facilities at Edenhall for reduced provision at the new health centre.

“If you give something up you expect it to be replaced with better facilities,” said Mr Hay. “The reason we have rubbish facilities here is because we do not speak up. I think we should set up a lobbying group to fight this. And I would expect every councillor to a man to stand up and fight this.”

Community council chairperson, Irene Tait, said: “Why can’t we have the things we need instead of a nice looking building with nothing in it.”

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