THE Friends of the Edington Hospital are hosting an emergency meeting today (Monday) following news that the hospital is to close to all inpatient work and admissions for three months.

From next Monday (September 13), no new patients will be admitted to the hospital in North Berwick. They will instead be cared for at the East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington.

A nurse-led minor injury service is all that will remain, it will operate during normal weekday working hours.

READ MORE: Six inpatient beds temporarily moving hospitals from North Berwick to Haddington

A post on Facebook by Friends of the Edington said: “On September 1, the chairman of the Friends of the Edington, Murray Donaldson, received a call from Peter Murray, the chair of the Joint Integrated Board to inform him that due to an acute staffing crisis they had decided to close the Edington hospital from September 13 and redeploy staff to East Lothian Community Hospital. This decision would be reviewed after a twelve week period.

“The Friends are greatly concerned at this news and as a result we have convened an emergency meeting for Monday to agree our response.”

NHS bosses made the decision “in the face of unprecedented levels of demand”. Six inpatient beds and the staff who support them are to move to the Haddington hospital.

Doctors said they are “saddened” by the news while an MSP expressed his concerns that the move will be “used as an excuse to effectively close” the Edington.