NOT a single hand was raised in support of proposals that could see the Edington Community Hospital and The Abbey care home in North Berwick both close, at a public meeting held to discuss their future.

More than 150 people packed out the town’s St Andrew Blackadder Church last Wednesday evening to hear about the plans, proposed by the East Lothian Integration Joint Board (IJB), that could see the hospital and care home – as well as Belhaven Hospital in Dunbar and Eskgreen care home in Musselburgh – replaced with ‘extra care’ housing.

The meeting was organised by North Berwick Coastal Area Partnership and the town’s community council to allow residents to have their say.

Dr Deborah Ritchie, chairwoman of the town’s health and wellbeing association, asked for a show of hands at the start of the meeting to signify how many people were in support of the IJB proposals – nobody raised their hand.

Hilary Smith, chairwoman of the area partnership, did likewise at the end, and again the response was overwhelmingly in favour of saving the Edington and The Abbey.

David Small, IJB chief officer, told the meeting: “There was lots of consultation with the area partnership and the Friends of the Edington before the proposals even went to the IJB. We did a lot of work building up the proposals but we really want to hear people’s views.”

He said that the extra care housing – a model of very sheltered accommodation – would be available to buy or rent, while rooms would be set aside for NHS ownership to allow palliative care to be provided, but that details were in the “very early stages”.

However, one member of the public said: “There are a lot of retirement flats in North Berwick at the moment and they are nothing like full.

“People are not buying the McCarthy and Stone [retirement] flats [built at the site of the old Ben Sayers Factory] to move into now – they are buying them for if and when they need them in the future.

“We could see something similar happen with extra care housing.”

Meanwhile, Dr Jean Walinck a retired GP who worked for three decades at the Edington, was similarly concerned about the potential loss of the minor injuries unit at the hospital, on St Baldred’s Road.

She said: “Lots of people use the Edington. Will there be some provision for small accidents?

“There needs to be something – we are a seaside town and that will stop people having to go all the way to the accident and emergency at the Royal Infirmary.”

And in a letter to the Courier, she said she would be “very sad” to see the “very valuable” services provided at the Edington “fragmented or lost altogether”.

There was widespread praise for the work of the hospital’s staff and the staff at North Berwick Health Centre – which is located next to the Edington and is also under review.

Dr Morgan Flynn, one of the health centre partners, thanked members of the public for their praise, while giving his views on the proposals. He said: “This is a chance to get things right for the future.

“There is no point changing something just for a few years – this is about getting it right now for 20 or 30 years in the future.”

Mrs Smith thanked everyone who gave their views – about a dozen members of the public spoke, all in favour of seeing the Edington saved from closure.

Mr Small confirmed that meetings with residents of The Abbey and their families, and the families of patients currently in the Edington, would be taking place.

Public meetings are also to be held in Musselburgh and Dunbar to allow residents there to have their say on the proposals for Eskgreen care home and Belhaven Hospital respectively.

The first consultation meeting takes place in the Hope Rooms in North Berwick from 6.30pm to 8pm on Monday. Tuesday sees a meeting take place in Esk Rooms 1 & 2 at The Brunton in Musselburgh, while Wednesday’s meeting is at the Bleachingfield Centre, Dunbar. All three meetings are held at the same times and all are welcome to attend.