Scottish Government Approves Royal Edinburgh Hospital Redevelopment

NHS Lothian (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) has received approval from the Scottish Government for the GBP 48 million, first phase of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital (REH) development.

Work to prepare the REH campus site for the new facility will begin in April 2014, involving removing shrubbery, trees, and other debris, the demolition of the recently vacated Scottish Ambulance Service building, as well as the development of a therapeutic garden activity area. Phase one of the REH development includes a state-of-the-art facility for acute mental health care, an intensive psychiatric care unit (IPCU), and the new Robert Fergusson national brain injury unit. The redevelopment should begin by the end of 2014, with a projected timescale for completion of phase one by 2016. The entire project may take up to ten years.


“The next step in the process is the development of the full business case, which we anticipate submitting for Scottish Government approval in September this year,” said David Small, chair of the NHS Lothian Royal Edinburgh Hospital project board. “We have listened to what matters to people and are confident that the plans will deliver an excellent mental health facility that will open a new chapter in the hospital's proud 200 year history.”

“We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with NHS Lothian to ensure that patients will benefit from modern, fit for purpose facilities, and the community will benefit from investment in the local area,” said Scottish cabinet secretary for health and wellbeing Alex Neil. “The new campus, which is part of the Scottish Government's GBP 750 million investment in health infrastructure across Scotland, will also see efficient use of energy, water, and waste management to reduce costs and carbon emissions.”

The REH is a psychiatric hospital established by Dr. Andrew Duncan, following the death of Scottish poet Robert Fergusson in 1774 of mental health problems caused by a head injury. Duncan wished to establish a hospital where the mentally ill could be humanely looked after. The hospital first opened in the early 19th century, and is today the main mental health hospital for the Lothian region, providing acute psychiatric and mental health care, including the treatment of those with learning difficulties and dementia. It also offers specialist services for the treatment of eating disorders and alcohol problems.

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