The Scotsman

Edinburgh eye hospital to close for six months for ‘essential’ works

An Edinburgh eye hospital will close for about six months while “essential” works on the plumbing system are carried out, NHS Lothian has announced.

Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion (PAEP) will close temporaril­y from Monday October 28, while workers replace two waste pipes and remove asbestos from a sealed pipework cavity.

The health authority said appointmen­ts will be moved to other NHS Lothian sites during this period, and that all patients affected will be contacted “in good time” with details of their new appointmen­ts.

NHS Lothian added that the measure was necessary to protect patients, staff and visitors at the Lauriston Place site.

Jim Crombie, the deputy chief executive of NHS Lothian, said: “We are very sorry for the inconvenie­nce this will cause our patients and it is not a decision we have taken lightly.

“Whilst patients and staff are not at risk, the work is essential and the advice we have received from our contractor­s is that this can be done more speedily and safely if the building is temporaril­y vacated.

“Patient and staff safety are always our chief considerat­ion. Our teams are working hard to minimise disruption and to ensure patients continue to be seen and treated throughout this period.”

NHS Lothian said the vast majority of patients due to be seen at PAEP between now and Friday October 25 will be unaffected, but that any whose appointmen­ts are affected will be contacted by their clinical teams at least two weeks in advance of their appointmen­t date.

Those with appointmen­ts booked from Monday October 28 will be contacted by letter, text or both in good time to arrange their new appointmen­ts, starting with those with appointmen­tsbooked for the week commencing October 28.

Mr Crombie added: “We are really grateful to all of our patients for their patience and understand­ing.

“I would like to reassure them they do not need to do anything. All affected patients will be being contacted with details of the new location of their appointmen­t.”