THE next step towards a new multi-million-pound hospital for East Lothian has been given the go-ahead by the Scottish Government.

Plans for a new East Lothian Community Hospital have been in the pipeline for years.

Now, with a completion date for the first phase of the hospital – which is expected to be built at Roodlands in Haddington – pencilled in for the end of 2017, another hurdle has been overcome.

Last week, the Scottish Government approved two health projects, including the development of the East Lothian Community Hospital, having now received initial agreement and outline business case approval.

David Small, joint director of East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, was among those happy to see things continuing to progress.

He said: “We are delighted that our initial plans for the new East Lothian Community Hospital have been approved by the Scottish Government.

“This is a major step forward in the overall process to build a new community hospital in East Lothian.

“The new building will bring an overall increase in capacity from what is currently available locally and some services provided outside of East Lothian are likely to move back to the county once it’s completed.

“The continued support of the local communities in East Lothian is vital as we move ahead with these exciting proposals.” The £75 million development of the East Lothian Community Hospital will provide orthopaedics, stroke rehabilitation, enhanced imaging, and a social care day unit. Construction on the site could start next year, with services operational by the end of 2017.

However, Jan Wilson, chairwoman of Haddington’s community council, remained sceptical about the scheme and the proposed timeframes, saying: “I will believe it when I see it.” She highlighted that plans for a new hospital had been discussed for a number of years, with seemingly little to show for it.

County MSP Iain Gray was pleased with the announcement but echoed Mrs Wilson’s feelings that the community had been waiting a long time for any progress.

He said: “Now we need to see the more detailed plans and business case, and hear more about the services which the new hospital will deliver. “I was pleased to see recent assurances that services at Belhaven Hospital would not be affected, and that some new services will be provided locally.

“I wonder, though, if there are other opportunities here; for example, I have thought for a long time that the county should have maternity services here, perhaps through a midwife unit. These are very successful elsewhere in Scotland.

“There is clearly still a long way to go, but I look forward to this important new health facility being available to local people by the end of 2017.” Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “Having the best health facilities and services in the right place is rightly important to patients and that is why I am delighted that this been given the green light.

“This investment reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure every patient in Scotland has access to world-class care in innovative health facilities.

“By developing purpose-built community services and ensuring our hospitals have state-of-the-art facilities, we will ensure all patients get the highest possible standards of care across all our NHS services.”