TWO key milestones in the building of a £70 million new hospital in East Lothian have been reached.

The steel structure which makes up East Lothian Community Hospital has been completed, with all factory-built bathroom pods also delivered to the site in Haddington.

The outline of the three-storey hospital re-development, undertaken by NHS Lothian in partnership with Hub South East Scotland Ltd, is clearly visible at the existing Roodlands Hospital, off Haddington’s Hospital Road.

The steel frame for the 22,000sqm health facility was finished last month after work began on the structure once the outpatients department was completed in February.

In the same week, the final delivery of the 134 factory-built bathroom pods – each containing a sink, toilet and shower – arrived on site.

Alison MacDonald, interim chief officer of East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Construction of the new East Lothian Community Hospital has been under way in Haddington since the end of 2016.

“The work to date has seen the completion of a new car park and access road, new outpatients department and the demolition of some of the unoccupied buildings, including East Fortune House.

“The completion of this framework is a pinnacle point of the construction progress, as it allows you to see the scale of the rest of the new hospital.

“NHS Lothian and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership continue to work closely with development partner Hub South East Scotland on the project and I am delighted with the progress the project is making.”

The outpatients department at the new hospital was officially opened in March this year.

The full programme of works for the hospital re-development should be complete by early 2020.

Philip Galbraith, Morrison Construction project director, was delighted to reach the two milestones.

He said: “The programme for this project is phased, with different trades coordinated to work on sections of the building in a certain sequence.

“Currently, external walling and internal fit out are being undertaken at the far ends of the development while roofing works continue in the middle of the structure.

‘‘With the final bathroom pods delivered to site, we will now be able to finish connecting these to the hospital rooms across the three floors of the development.

“The pods are being used for this project to save time and on-site labour.’’