EAST Lothian's MP has dismissed concerns that the new East Lothian Community Hospital will not provide adequate services for county residents, stating: "We're not living in the Highlands."

Construction of the long-awaited new hospital - which has been called for by campaigners for more than a decade - will at last get under way next month, built on the site of the current Roodlands Hospital in Haddington.

READ MORE: Work on new hospital to begin next month

However, there will not be an accident and emergency unit there, meaning residents will continue to go to the A&E unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and there has also been criticism of the decision not to include a minor injuries unit.

There will also not be day surgery under general anaesthetic, despite the fact this service is currently available at Roodlands - a decision that has been criticised by a Roodlands surgeon among others.

READ MORE: Surgeon slams decision not to include general anaesthetic facilities at new hospital

East Lothian MSP Iain Gray (Labour) has been a vocal critic of these decisions, as well as delays to the hospital.

This week he stated: “I am delighted that work is to start on the new hospital, because it should have started 10 years ago!

"The SNP Government switch to PFI-style funding way back in 2007 has cost us a decade of waiting, but finally work is to start, and that is very good news.

“Unfortunately, plans are going ahead for a hospital without day surgery under general anaesthetic, which means 2,000 patients a year will not get the operations they currently do at Roodlands.

“Clinicians have told us there is nowhere else which can do this work instead, so I am not going to give up yet on trying to get this bad decision reversed. I hope to raise it in Parliament next week.

“This decision is just to save money and not for any good medical reason, and I intend to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health again to intervene and see surgery restored.”

However, the county's MP George Kerevan (SNP), hit back at what he called the "scaremongering" about the hospital.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted that work on the East Lothian Community Hospital is about to begin.

“East Lothian needs and deserves modern hospital provision, and the Scottish Government has always appreciated that.

“There never was any question of the hospital not being built.

“There has been unnecessary scaremongering about the hospital, which will provide 50 per cent more beds than we have at present, and allow East Lothian patients to be moved back into the county from Midlothian and Edinburgh hospitals.

"There will also be state-of-the art facilities for day surgery, endoscopy, outpatients and a GP out-of-hours base, along with diagnostics and long-term care.

“This is exactly what East Lothian needs, considering that we are so close to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which has all the equipment on-hand for emergencies.

“We’re not living in the Highlands here.”

Work on the new £70 million community is to get under way next month, with financial contracts now signed with the Scottish Government, paving the way for the long-awaited NHS Lothian and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership project.

Health Secretary Shona Robison MSP said: “It has taken many years of careful planning to get to this point, but I am delighted to be able to announce that construction work will start in a few weeks on this £70 million project.

“The new hospital will be a significant addition to the local healthcare facilities available in East Lothian – bringing services back to the area and helping more patients get treatment closer to home.

“I look forward to work getting under way and seeing this fantastic new facility become a reality.”

To allow work to start, a number of buildings need to be demolished.

As a result, patients from East Fortune House at Roodlands will be relocated to Crookston Care Home in Tranent.

The NHS floor at Crookston Care Home currently provides ‘step down’ care for East Lothian patients who have, in the main, been transferred from Edinburgh hospitals.

A new step down facility for East Lothian patients is being created in Liberton Hospital in Edinburgh to allow this move to take place.

The physiotherapy department at Roodlands will also transfer to Herdmanflat Hospital as part of this process.