Edinburgh Eye Pavilion to close for six months for urgent plumbing repairs
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They said a temporary move to “other locations” was necessary so contractors could replace two waste pipes and remove asbestos material from a sealed cavity where the pipework is located.
The full decant of staff, services and equipment will see patient appointments which were scheduled to take place from October 28 moved to unspecified “other NHS Lothian facilities”.


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Hide AdThe Eye Pavilion in Chalmers Street was declared no longer fit for purpose in 2014 and was due to be replaced by new eye hospital next to the Royal Infirmary at Little France, but the project is on hold because of the Scottish Government’s spending freeze.
Today’s announcement by NHS Lothian said the decision to move out of the Eye Pavilion while the work takes place was designed to protect patients, staff and visitors.
NHS Lothian deputy chief executive Jim Crombie, 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.”
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Hide AdNHS Lothian said teams were currently developing plans to ensure that inpatient and outpatient appointments continued throughout the closure and it was expected that all appointments would be held in NHS Lothian facilities. Patients did not need to do anything differently. Those with appointments after October 28 would be contacted by letter or text to arrange new ones.
The current Eye Pavilion building has been plagued by out-of-order lifts and leaks from the ceiling, sometimes leading to operations being cancelled. And in November sight loss charities warned that people’s eye health was being put at risk because of the poor facilities. And they launched a petition calling on the Scottish Government to commit to funding a new eye hospital without further delay.
Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs said: “The closure of Edinburgh Eye Pavilion is very concerning and shows how urgently we need a replacement hospital.
“There has been a long list of outstanding maintenance needed on the eye hospital, with no work being carried out over the last couple of years. Patients have yet again been let down due to bad decisions made by SNP Ministers.
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Hide Ad“Long ophthalmology waiting times are only going to get longer due to this disruption. We urgently need to see proper investment into ophthalmology services in NHS Lothian to start improving outcomes for patients.”
Lothian Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said she understood the need to carry out the work to ensure the eye hospital’s safety. But she said: “This work will cause major disruption to patients and NHS workers and highlights the major issues with the current site. We have known for 10 years that the eye hospital is not fit for purpose but this 6-month closure is a major blow.
“If the Scottish Government want to do right by patients and eye pavilion staff, it urgently needs to deliver on its promise and begin work on a new facility immediately.”
The Scottish Government agreed in principle to a new replacement eye hospital in 2018, but cancelled it two years later. After a public outcry, the then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon then did a U-turn during the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections, saying the hospital would go ahead after all.
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Hide AdBut construction had not started by the time a two-year freeze on major new NHS infrastructure spending was ordered by the Scottish Government in the wake of its budget last December after its capital funding from the UK Government was slashed. All work on the new eye hospital was halted and has not restarted.
MSPs have raised questions about what would happen in the absence of a new building if the current Eyavilion were to become unusable.
In March, Miles Briggs said it might be possible to find space in other NHS Lothian buildings for eyecare outpatients, but he feared some services could be transferred to other health boards. And he said he was particularly worried about access to emergency treatment. "Eye surgery is not the same as knees or hips, you can't just use the same operating theatres. There's very sophisticated equipment involved. And it's really important we keep the emergency clinical team together. It may be we need to build an emergency standalone theatre somewhere."
Celebrated eye surgeon Hector Chawla, former director of the Eye Pavilion, who saved the sight of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 1971, has been vocal about the need for a new eye hospital. Writing in the Evening News last yer, he said: “The present eye hospital in Edinburgh was state of the art in 1969 but it has now been worked beyond its sell-by date, and is isolated from the Royal Infirmary. The case for a single unit based beside a major hospital has been made on countless occasions.”
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Hide AdA Scottish Government spokesperson said: “NHS Lothian has been clear that the temporary closure of the Eye Pavilion is necessary to allow urgent maintenance of waste pipes to be carried out as safely and efficiently as possible.
“The board has confirmed there is no risk to patients ahead of the start of the remedial works and they are working to minimise disruption during the closure, including using alternative sites for appointments.”
And the spokesperson continued: “Due to significant increases in construction costs due to inflation, and a lower than expected capital grant from the UK Government, a capital review is currently underway and all due consideration will be given to which projects can be included within the revised plan to ensure it is affordable and deliverable.
“Alongside this, we are working with all NHS boards to develop a whole-system infrastructure plan which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland – this will support continued safe operation of existing facilities as well as determination of longer term investment priorities.”
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