Edinburgh's new eye hospital: Labour MSP Sarah Boyack accuses Michael Matheson of misleading patients

Health Secretary Michael Matheson has been accused of misleading patients over Edinburgh’s promised new eye hospital.

Lothian Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said Mr Matheson had assured patient representatives at a meeting she attended that any decision on the project would be made in December, in line with the Scottish Budget. But there was no mention of the new hospital in Finance Secretary Shona Robison’s Budget speech, with a government spokesman saying later that a revised Infrastructure Investment Plan would be published in the spring.

And since then the Evening News has revealed that the Scottish Government has told health boards there will be a block on new capital projects for at least the next two years, along with a freeze or recruitment and a need for major savings.

Patients were told the spending review, to be concluded ahead of the Budget, would provide clarity on the funding and timescales of Edinburgh's promised new eye hospital - but now there is a two-year block on any new building projects.

Ms Boyack said: “Michael Matheson has fundamentally misled patients. To tell patients that the decision would be made in December, only for it to be pushed back to the spring is a slap in the face for all those who need a new facility. Michael Matheson needs to confirm on the record when the capital spending will be announced and apologise for misleading patients.”

The current Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion was declared not fit for purpose in 2014 and plans for a replacement were originally agreed in 2018, but then cancelled in December 2020 before being reinstated after a U-turn during the 2021 Holyrood election campaign. But delays saw the projected completion date postponed until “late 2027” and then the project was caught up in the government’s capital spending review.

In November, Mr Matheson met patients from the campaign group Keep Edinburgh Eye Pavilion (KEEP) along with Ms Boyack and the patients later voiced frustration that they had been unable to get any timetable from progressing with the new hospital, but Mr Matheson told them the spending review, to be concluded ahead of the Budget, would provide clarity over funding and timescale for delivery of the new hospital.

NHS Lothian ranked the eye hospital among its top priority projects, required within the next five years. But in the wake of the Budget, NHS Lothian and other health boards were told by government officials there would be no funding for new building schemes for at least the next two years.

Ms Boyack said she had now written to the Health Secretary to ask him for clarity over when the decision would be made on the new hospital. She said: “Every day the Scottish Government delays, the project becomes more expensive, and the current Eye Pavilion deteriorates further. If Michael Matheson does not provide clarity now, we are heading towards a crisis for eyecare services in Edinburgh.”

Craig Spalding, chief executive of visual impairment charity Sight Scotland, said: “It’s now 10 years on since the current hospital was declared unfit for purpose and by delaying the decision again is ignoring the critical need of patients and staff attending the current hospital. As time goes on, the building deteriorates further and the risk to people’s safety increases. People with visual impairment and eye conditions deserve better.”