Edinburgh Eye Pavilion: Health Secretary Neil Gray to visit and make statement in parliament ahead of 6-month closure

Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion. Picture: Greg Macvean

NHS Lothian announced last week that the Eye Pavilion, in Chalmers Street, would shut temporarily from the end of October for urgent plumbing repairs, the replacement of two waste pipes and removal of asbestos.

Mr Gray is due to make a statement in the Scottish Parliament about the closure on Thursday afternoon.

Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion. Picture: Greg Macvean

The Eye Pavilion was declared unfit for purpose in 2014 and a replacement eye hospital was due to be built next to the Royal Infirmary at Little France, but the project is currently on hold as part of the Scottish Government's freeze on major capital spending. 

Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs had requested a visit to the hospital with Mr Gray and fellow Edinburgh and Lothian MSPs and was expecting it to take place in October, but it has now been brought forward.

Mr Briggs said: "Hopefully this is an opportunity for us to show the urgent need for the new eye hospital and the priority it should have and demonstrate the cross-party support for that.

"This closure is for emergency works - that isn't going to fix a building that is 10 years beyond its sell-by date.  The ongoing campaign for a new hospital is stronger than ever.  And I worry this period is going to create more problems because treatments are going to be scattered, the flow of patients will slow down, waiting lists could increase - there is a lot of challenge coming.

“Meanwhile people who work at the hospital are really angry that they're still stuck in this situation."  

Mr Gray's statement to parliament on the Eye Pavilion comes after calls by Scottish Lib Dem leader and Edinburgh Western MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton, who said it would provide an opportunity for MSPs to ask questions about the closure.

He said:  “It's important that works to secure the safety of all staff and patients are able to take place. But I want ministers to look my constituents and others across the Lothians in the eye and explain why they took the catastrophic and shortsighted decision to cancel the construction of a replacement hospital.

“People need to know what impact these closures will have and what steps will now be taken to ensure that they have access to care into the future."

NHS Lothian has yet to announce details of how patients will be cared for during the six-month closure. It has said appointments will take place in “other locations” which it expects to be within Lothian. But it is not clear where operations - which often require highly specialised equipment - or emergency treatment will take place.