THE future of Belhaven and Edington Hospitals is under review as health chiefs look for ways to provide care in the years ahead.

A meeting of East Lothian Integration Joint Board (IJB) heard that the services provided by NHS Lothian at Belhaven Hospital, Dunbar; North Berwick’s Edington Hospital; and the care homes at The Abbey in North Berwick and at Eskgreen, Musselburgh were being re-assessed. And public consultation events are to be held in local communities over the next three months.

The IJB governs the East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership and aims to drive forward the delivery of integrated health and adult social care services.

Its board – which includes councillors and NHS professionals – agreed at a meeting in Haddington this week to discuss and consider a report on the future of these county facilities at its December meeting.

A report to the board will look into “extra care housing and the way forward with reprovision of Abbey and Eskgreen Care Homes and Edington and Belhaven Hospitals.”

Councillor Fiona O’Donnell, East Lothian Council’s cabinet spokesperson for health and social care, who sits on the board, warned no moves to close services would be accepted unless alternatives were in place.

She said: “It is so important we engage with the community, there has been a lot of anxiety about these services and it is vital we have alternatives in place before any actions are taken.

“We cannot be left with a gap in these services. If there is to be a replacement it must be something which will last for a few more decades and be fit for purpose as we move forward.”

And Hilary Smith, North Berwick Community Council chairperson, said the closure of Edington Hospital would be devastating to the town.

She said: “The community council has always supported the Edington and oppose any move to close it. It does more than just a hospital it provides a health and social care service for the town. It would be devastating to lose it.”

She added the community council still had to hear what options were being proposed for the future of the hospital, which is listed as a 9-bed cottage hospital, offering palliative care, rehabilitation and a minor injuries clinic.

At a meeting of the integration joint board, last Thursday, in Haddington Town House, members were told it would cost up to £500,000 to bring Belhaven Hospital, Dunbar, “up to spec”.

There has been a long-standing campaign regarding Belhaven Hospital’s Ward 2, which is described by NHS Lothian as a 23-bed nursing home facility open.

The hospital is partly registered as a nursing home with facilities for GP admissions, respite and palliative care and has an additional 12 beds for other types of care.

Both hospitals provide a range of community health support from transfusions to pain control, wound management and post-operative clinical care.Over the last financial year from April 2016 to March 2017 there were 96 admissions to beds in Edington and 108 to the beds at Belhaven.

Mr Small said various options were being considered including looking at building more homes designed for care at home.

He said the way forward for providing care also took into account the Scottish Government’s policy of keeping people in their homes as much as possible with a preference for “hospital at home” which aims to stop people from being admitted to hospital, which can mean care packages are cancelled, delaying their return.

Councillor Stuart Currie, board member, said it was vital no action was taken until new services were in place.

He said: “They cannot close a ward until they have something else in place.”

Dr Richard Fairclough, who also sits on the board, questioned the use of the word reprovision in the terms of the forthcoming report.

He told the board: “Reprovision suggests rebuilding but as we know it can mean no rebuilding.”

Mr Small said he would be attending Belhaven Hospital forum, community councils and consulting wider community views before any report comes back to the board, in December.

Iain Gray, East Lothian MSP, said he would not support the closure of the two hospitals without alternative facilities being put in place.

He said: “I have always made it clear both belhaven and the Edington provide important and much-valued services to the county.”

Work is underway on the new community hospital in Haddington which includes among its services a provision for elderly inpatient care and is being built to replace the town’s Roodlands and Herdmanflat Hospitals.

It is expected to open to patients in 2019.