Did you miss the recent consultation event at St Ninian’s Episcopal Church in Comely Bank? If so, NHS Lothian’s outline plans for the future of the Royal Victoria Hospital site can be viewed in the raft of documents (below).
NHS Lothian says these documents give you a chance to see how the city campus could look in years to come if it was transformed into providing an Integrated Care Facility (ICF).
The proposals, drafted by NHS Lothian with the City of Edinburgh Council, have been developed as part of the pre-planning process, which announces the intention to submit a planning application at a later date.
They will show the development of the ICF in the north-west part of the site, while concepts continue to be developed for the future use of the whole site.
Both proposals are at very early stages and the display is just the beginning of a lengthy planning process, which is aimed to generate discussion and consultation. Actual planning applications would likely be lodged next year.
Peter Gabbitas, Joint Director, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We are breaking new ground with our proposals as part of our vision for the future of health and social care in Lothian. Addressing the health and social care needs of the elderly is one of the biggest challenges. We need to provide residential and non-residential accommodation, available at different levels, to meet the health and social care needs of older people.”
Iain Graham, Director of Capital Planning, NHS Lothian, said: “These new proposals for the site will help meet those needs by allowing us to develop an integrated care facility and associated services.”
The site was earmarked for the development of a care village as part of the strategic plan, which outlines NHS Lothian’s vision of healthcare for the next decade. The document, called “Our Health, Our Care, Our Future”, identified the main challenges to help lead NHS Lothian into 2024.
It pointed to Lothian’s population, and in particular the numbers of older people, which will continue to soar over the next 10 years. The document agreed there was a real need to establish integrated working with local authorities and other partners to help streamline services.
NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council have discussed the strategic planning and capacity issues surrounding the provision of care home places in Edinburgh to develop a short, medium and long term accommodation strategy for older people in the area.
An ICF is a different model of care provision from a ‘traditional’ hospital, offering flexibility of design and staffing to better meet the needs of a range of client groups.
The plan for a new Integrated Care Facility as well as overall masterplan concepts for the remainder of the location will be on display.
The event is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the proposed development and comment on their views, at this stage in the process.
Two ‘Proposal of Application of Notices’ have now been submitted to the council, which indicate the intention to submit planning applications for the development.
Those interested in making comments on the proposed development may do so in writing to NHS Lothian’s planning consultant: Montagu Evans LLP, 4th Floor, Exchange Tower, 19 Canning Street, Edinburgh, EH3 8EG or by email:
mail@montagu-evans.co.uk
by the end of September 2014.
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