East Lothian Community Hospital

Client NHS Lothian/Hub South East Scotland

Sector Health

Location East Lothian

Value £72m

The East Lothian Community Hospital is a major new healthcare centre providing services in a semi-rural environment to the east of Edinburgh, allowing more people to be treated closer to home.

The three-storey, 132-bed facility covers 23,000 sqm and includes three general wards - orthopaedic rehabilitation, outpatient department and mental health - along with a new car park and access road. The scheme was procured through the Hub South East Scotland vehicle, the largest single project of its kind to do so.

Built in two phases in a live environment, the design incorporated off-site manufacturing techniques which generated both cost and time savings, improved quality and reduced workforce exposure to unsafe conditions. 

All main service runs were manufactured as cassettes by Forth Electrical Services - based locally in Stirling - which reduced the programme by minimising on-site testing requirements. Over 130 factory-built bathroom pods - each containing a sink, toilet and shower - were delivered to site complete, and connected to the hospital rooms across the three floors of the development.

The combined savings were estimated to have allowed the Trust to put £1m back into patient care.