Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack has secured confirmation over the timetable for the new eye pavilion.
Deputy Chief Exec of NHS Lothian, Jim Crosbie revealed that the new eye pavilion would be delivered in 6 years during a roundtable hosted by Ms Boyack.
Ms Boyack secured the meeting following her open letter to Scottish Health Secretary, Neil Gray on the lack of clarity over the new hospital’s progress.
The roundtable was attended by MSPs from across Edinburgh and the Lothians as well as stakeholders from sight loss organisations and patient groups.
NHS Lothian promised to continue to keep MSPs and stakeholders updated about progress and the health board also committed to proper consultation with the sight loss community.
The current Eye Pavilion has been shut since last year since asbestos was discovered in the building. This has caused major disruption for those in the sight loss community who rely on the hospital.
An organisation of patients supporting a new hospital, KEEP, were present at the roundtable and highlighted some of the difficulties for patients trying to access basic facilities since the closure of the current pavilion.
Speaking after the meeting, Ms Boyack said: “I am glad to finally have some clarity of when Edinburgh will finally see a new eye hospital.
“However, I can’t shake the feeling that this facility is way overdue.
“The current facility has not been fit for purpose since 2014, on the current timetable patients will be waiting another 6 before getting the standard of services they deserve.
“I will continue to hold the Scottish Government’s feet to the fire over this until the Eye Pavilion has been delivered.”
Scottish Labour has revealed the SNP has cut an eye-watering £660 million from Edinburgh Council’s coffers over the last 12 years.
Local authorities across Scotland are currently being forced to make difficult choices to keep services afloat.
New analysis by Scottish Labour has shown that the SNP government cut a cumulative total of £7.8 billion from core Council budgets across Scotland between 2013-14 and 2025-26.
This includes an eyewatering £660 million in Edinburgh Council alone.
Scottish Labour has said these cuts have pushed Edinburgh Council to breaking point and left Scots paying the price for SNP failure.
The effect of this financial vandalism has been evident with core council services facing extreme financial pressure.
Edinburgh is also in the grips of a brutal housing crisis.
Commenting, Scottish Labour MSP for Lothian Sarah Boyack said: “Services in Edinburgh are under immense pressure because of the austerity the SNP has inflicted on Councils.
“The SNP government has short-changed Edinburgh Council year after year.
“These brutal cuts have pushed Councils across Scotland to breaking point and forced them to make impossible choices to protect lifeline services.
“Our capital is in desperate need of fair funding as the Council is struggling to deliver vital services with less and less resources.
“The Labour UK Government decisively ended the era of Tory austerity, but Scots are still being forced to pay the price for SNP failure.
“A Scottish Labour Government will put an end to SNP mismanagement and cuts and deliver fair funding for Edinburgh so working people don’t have to plug the gaps of government cuts.”
Scottish Labour Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury added: “Years of the SNP Government underfunding our councils is hitting residents harder than ever.
“From social care, third sector services or the extortionate cost of housing the public are being forced to bear the consequences of SNP mismanagement yet again; Edinburgh and Lothian need a new direction.”
Cumulative cuts to core Council budgets, 2013-14 to 2025-26:
Labour Lothians MSP, Sarah Boyack has written to Cabinet Secretary for Health, Neil Gray, seeking clarity over the next steps for the recently announced replacement eye hospital.
Last week’s budget brought the news campaigners have long been waiting for, that a new eye hospital is going ahead in Edinburgh.
This is after multiple U-turns from the Scottish Government and the current facility being not fit for purpose for 10 years.
Ms Boyack has been a long-time campaigner for the hospital and is now seeking more concrete next steps following the announcement.
In her letter, Ms Boyack highlights that patients and campaigners ‘need clarity’ and urges Neil Gray to lay out the timeline for delivering the hospital and when the construction work will commence.
She also seeks reassurances about whether Mr Gray will meet with stakeholders and campaigners to update them on the progress with the eye pavilion.
The fate of the current Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion was thrown into the spotlight recently when it was revealed that it would have to shut for a minimum of 6 months due to urgent repairs.
These repairs were further complicated by the discovery of asbestos.
The disrepair and age of the current building is one of the main reasons cited by campaigners as to why a new hospital is so desperately needed.
Commenting on her open letter, Sarah Boyack MSP said: “I am incredibly relieved that this project is finally going ahead.
“However, we have seen multiple U-turns in the past on the eye hospital.
“We need urgent clarity on the next steps.
“This project must be completed as soon as possible so that patients finally get the facility they deserve and require.
“I want to work constructively with Neil Gray on this.
“Patients and campaigners deserve clarity and I hope The Health Secretary takes up my suggestion to meet with stakeholders.”
New figures have revealed that almost 1000 people within the NHS Lothian region are waiting for life changing hybrid closed loop (HCL) system.
This is a devastating blow for diabetic patients who face extensive wait times to receive the technology.
Hybrid closed loop systems work to automatically adjust glucose levels depending on a patient’s blood sugar.
This is in stark contrast to the current system where the patient must manually adjust and administer the insulin themselves.
Paul Hughes, who works for Edinburgh Council and has had diabetes for 24 years, finds himself stuck on the waiting list for a HCL system.
Mr Hughes originally requested to be added to the waiting list in 2021 but found out, after inquiry, that he had not been added until 2023.
He is concerned that the ‘postcode lottery’ will mean he is not able to access an HCL system for the foreseeable future.
Mr Hughes has previously suffered a broken cheek and elbow from collapsing due to his blood sugar levels dropping too low.
He believes an HCL system is critical to improving his diabetes control and avoiding similar incidents in the future.
These figures were first revealed via FOI, by Labour MSP for Lothian, Sarah Boyack.
Ms Boyack has written an open letter (above) to Cabinet Secretary for Health, Neil Gray to ask what actions the Scottish Government is taking to urgently reduce these waiting lists.
Earlier this year, Ms Boyack hosted a roundtable of diabetic constituents who raised access to diabetes technology as a critical issue.
Commenting on these figures, Ms Boyack said: “The size of the waiting list is extremely alarming.This is life changing technology and patients across Lothian are in limbo waiting to receive it.
“I have had many constituents contact me, anxious about the lack of clarity for when they will receive an HCL system.
“The Scottish Government have announced funding to expand the HCL rollout, but it means nothing if it is not reaching people on the ground. That is why I have written to Neil Gray to ensure that type 1s across NHS Lothian are not left out in the cold when it comes to getting a HCL system”.
Paul Hughes added: “This technology would be life changing for me.I would no longer have to worry about my blood sugar dropping during the night, which currently keeps me awake.
“I am incredibly concerned about the long waiting list for those in NHS Lothian.
“I have sustained serious injury from collapsing due to low blood sugar so this technology cannot come soon enough.”
Over 130 organisations, including NGOs, social justice charities, think tanks and economists, have come together to urge First Minister John Swinney to give the government’s backing to Sarah Boyack MSP’s Member’s Bill.
In a letter organised by WEAll Scotland, they tell Mr Swinney that “this is a key opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to work together to pass world leading legislation that delivers for the people of Scotland”.
Ms Boyack’s Member’s Bill aims to create better outcomes for future generations by placing new definitions of sustainable development and wellbeing into legislation.
It also seeks to establish a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Commissioner to end short-term thinking in policy decisions.
The bill received cross party support but has not yet been formally endorsed by the SNP.
In the SNP’s 2021 manifesto they committed to bringing forward a Wellbeing and Sustainability Bill, however only put a consultation forward after Ms Boyack published her bill.
In the open letter, signatories highlighted the benefits of this bill and urged Mr Swinney to support Sarah Boyack in bringing it into law
Commenting on the support, Ms Boyack said: “It is great to have such a wide range of support from stakeholders across sectors, for my bill.
“There is clearly a deep recognition of the benefits that this bill can bring Scotland.
“This gives us in Scotland the opportunity to be a real leader in this field.
“I hope the First Minister listens to these stakeholders and supports my bill to ensure that we can finally embed wellbeing into the heart of Scotland’s politics.”
WEAll Director Aileen McCleod added: “In a just and compassionate Scotland, everyone should have the opportunity to live a good and dignified life.
“We know that people are struggling as we face multiple crises for people and planet. It doesn’t have to be this way.
“Right now, the Scottish Government is not utilising the full extent of their devolved powers. The recent Programme for Government was a missed opportunity to deliver lasting change.”
Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK also commented: “New wellbeing legislation could help Scotland make headway with the biggest challenges of our time by forcing more long-term thinking.
“The Scottish Parliament should get behind Sarah Boyack’s Bill because the only way we’re going to tackle issues like climate change or child poverty is through thoughtful action, co-ordinated across government and the wider public sector.”
A broad group of campaigners have united to call for wellbeing and sustainable development to be at the heart of policy making in Scotland
Over 130 social and environmental justice NGOs, grassroots community groups, faith groups, service providers, funders, economists, academics, think tanks and business leaders have again joined forces in an open letter to the First Minister.
The group is united in their support of the Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill proposed by Sarah Boyack MSP.
The letter, led by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland (WEAll Scotland), is signed by One Parent Families Scotland, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, The Poverty Alliance, Scotland’s International Development Alliance, Independent Food Aid Network, Quakers in Scotland and many others.
The group, who previously wrote to the First Minister in June, express their disappointment and concern that the Scottish Government failed to deliver on their long-promised Bill in the Programme for Government.
In the letter campaigners proclaim: “We believe this Bill is a vital step towards building a Wellbeing Economy by ending short term, sticking plaster solutions that fail to tackle today’s challenges at their source.”
WEAll Scotland Director, Aileen McLeod, said:“In a just and compassionate Scotland, everyone should have the opportunity to live a good and dignified life. We know that people are struggling as we face multiple crises for people and planet.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. Right now, the Scottish Government is not utilising the full extent of their devolved powers. The recent Programme for Government was a missed opportunity to deliver lasting change.”
The letter, sent to the First Minister John Swinney today, sets out how a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill would create a step change in policy making: “It would create a clear and shared narrative of progress for Scotland; establish wellbeing and sustainable development as the drivers of policy and practice; help tackle the nature and climate crises; and contribute to global justice.”
Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive at Carnegie UK, said: “New wellbeing legislation could help Scotland make headway with the biggest challenges of our time by forcing more long-term thinking.
“The Scottish Parliament should get behind Sarah Boyack’s Bill because the only way we’re going to tackle issues like climate change or child poverty is through thoughtful action, co-ordinated across government and the wider public sector.”
Tejesh Mistry, Chief Executive of Voluntary Health Scotland, said: “This Bill should provide a vital pathway for addressing the increasing poverty and inequality in Scotland at a time when a forward-thinking Wellbeing Economy driven vision is key to providing hope for people and services that are suffering.”
David Kelly, Head of Scotland for Community Transport Association, said: “Too many of Scotland’s cities, towns and villages have been designed with car dependency built in.
“Bigger roads, more drive-thrus and new neighbourhoods without buses, cycle lanes or even pavements have only driven up congestion, emissions and ill-health. We need a clear and rigorous definition of sustainable development in law to prevent bad planning decisions, build more accessible places and end transport poverty.
“We hope that the Scottish Parliament can unite behind Sarah Boyack’s Members Bill to help develop a sustainable transport system which works for everyone.”
Aileen McLeod continues: “Now is the time for action, it is essential that the First Minister gives his full support to Sarah Boyack’s Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill.
“There is already cross party support and our letter demonstrates the breadth and depth of support across Scotland. This is a key opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to work together to pass world leading legislation that delivers for the people of Scotland.”
Edinburgh resident John Rowan (68) has had to go private for hearing aids after waiting over a year for his regular hearing aid check, despite the Scottish Government setting a waiting time target of 18 weeks.
Mr Rowan’s hearing loss originated from contracting measles as a child and the legacy of contracting measles is now affecting his hearing in later life.
Despite being retired, Mr Rowan is heavily involved in the charity sector and until recently, sat on the board of a Scottish-wide charity and he volunteers with several others.
In May 2023, Mr Rowan self-referred himself for a new hearing test and was added to the waiting list. Despite assurances his appointment would be in May 2024, he was not invited to an appointment.
The further deterioration in his hearing has left him struggling to hear basic conversations.
Due to this, Mr Rowan took the decision to go private to receive hearing aids.
Labour MSP for Lothian, Sarah Boyack, has been pursuing this issue on Mr Rowan’s behalf.
However, the NHS confirmed to Ms Boyack in May 2024, that due to pressure there was no confirmation for when Mr Rowan would receive his appointment.
Only after Mr Rowan had paid out of pocket for his hearing aids did the NHS get back in touch to confirm an appointment for August 2024.
Mr Rowan said: “My hearing test was due in May, however, unfortunately it was pushed back with no date given to me for when I might be tested.
“Due to the ongoing delay, I had to resort to going private to ensure I got the hearing aids I desperately needed.
“My loss of hearing affects me in day-to-day life, as I struggle to listen to conversations which I need to hear in the roles that I do with the voluntary sector.
“I am incredibly concerned if more is not done to tackle these waiting times then my hearing will only deteriorate further.”
Sarah Boyack MSP added: “Mr Rowan’s case illustrates the dire state that the Scottish Government have left NHS Lothian in.
“These delays and missed targets dramatically affect patients’ lives.
“It is unacceptable that Mr Rowan is facing further deterioration of his hearing due to delays.
“The Scottish Government must address the crisis in NHS Lothian as an immediate priority.
“No one should be having to pay out of pocket simply to be able to hear conversations with friends and family.
“If they don’t I fear cases such as Mr Rowan’s will only become more common.”
An Edinburgh based diabetic patient has been told she will be not given the new closed loop diabetic pump technology, despite the fact that she has been testing the system, for the NHS since last year.
Megan Ormond, who has had diabetes for all her teenage and adult life, contacted Labour MSP, Sarah Boyack to raise her situation.
Ms Ormond was taking part in a study of the closed loop system and was told partaking in this study would likely secure her the technology faster.
However, at her last meeting, she was told, due to budget cuts, the closed loop system would not be made available to her after the study.
While using this closed loop system, her HBA1C which is used by doctors to test a patient’s glucose levels over the last 3 months, has been the lowest it has been for her entire time with diabetes.
The Scottish Government’s Diabetic Improvement Plan cites rolling out the closed loop system, as quickly as possible as a key target.
However, due to budget cuts and required savings, NHS Lothian is unable to carry out their rollout of the system at their expected rate.
NHS England began rolling out the closed loop system on the 1st April 2024.
Commenting on Megan’s case, Lothians MSP Sarah Boyack, said: “Megan’s case shows the absolutely shocking state the SNP Government has allowed NHS Lothian to fall into.
“Life changing technology and treatment are being denied to patients due to a lack of funding. That is unacceptable anywhere in Scotland, never mind our nation’s capital.
“The Scottish Government must act to ensure Megan and other diabetics are able to access this ground-breaking treatment as they were promised.
“There is real opportunity to improve the quality of life for diabetes patients in Edinburgh, but that opportunity isn’t just being denied to my constituents its being snatched away.”
A closed loop system is a game changer for T1 diabetics. One of my constituents tested this system for the NHS However, due to budget cuts the system can’t be rolled out as planned and she must revert to her old insulin pump. The SNP's cuts are rolling back these opportunities pic.twitter.com/P7i40rNDc8
A dramatic increase in the number of violent and threatening incidents in Edinburgh’s schools has been revealed by figures from the city council.
In the 2014-15 academic year, there were 111 violent or threatening behaviour incidents across Edinburgh’s primaries and secondary schools. In the 2022-23 academic year this had skyrocketed to 618.
These figures come after the Scottish Government’s latest Research Report into school behaviour showed that almost 2/3rds of Scottish teachers have experienced verbal abuse and 59% have encountered physical aggression.
The number of incidents is higher in Edinburgh’s primary schools, which saw a leap from 242 for the academic year 2021/22 to 487 in 22/23.
High schools have seen a similarly dramatic jump but from a lower base, seeing an increase from 44 incidents in 21/22 to 131 in 22/23.
Commenting on these figures, Lothians MSP Sarah Boyack said: “The dramatic increase in violent and threatening behaviour in schools is extremely distressing.
“No teacher deserves to face violence or abuse in their classroom.
“The Council and school staff are doing a great job with the resources they have, but its clear more is needed to tackle this issue.
“Investing in pupil support will help us to tackle many of the root issues that cause disruption. We must also ensure that schools equip teachers with the necessary support if they are facing violent behaviour.
“Violence and threatening behaviour are not part of a teacher’s job, and it must be the Education Secretary’s top priority to tackle it.”
The data, acquired by FOI from City of Edinburgh Council is below:
Academic Year
Primary Schools
Secondary Schools
Total number
01/08/2014 to 30/06/2015
104
7
111
01/08/2015 to 30/06/2016
112
7
119
01/08/2016 to 30/06/2017
199
7
206
01/08/2017 to 30/06/2018
178
15
193
01/08/2018 to 30/06/2019
292
37
329
01/08/2019 to 30/06/2020
17
24
41
01/08/2020 to 30/06/2021
129
4
133
01/08/2021 to 30/06/2022
242
44
286
01/08/2022 to 30/06/2023
487
131
618
The Scottish Government Behaviour in Schools Research Report can be found here:
Labour Lothian MSP Sarah Boyack has today challenged the Scottish Government to finally intervene in Edinburgh’s housing emergency.
This comes after recent ONS figures illustrated the scale of Edinburgh’s crisis.
The figures revealed that the average rent in Edinburgh had an annual increase of 14.9%, almost 5% higher than the 10.9% increase across the whole of Scotland.
This is despite the Scottish Government having introduced a rent cap.
The average house price has also risen faster in Edinburgh, compared to the country as a whole.
The average price jumped 5.4% compared to last year, whereas it only rose 4.8% across all of Scotland.
These figures come after Edinburgh Council unanimously declared a housing emergency at the tail end of last year.
However, the Scottish Government refused to follow suit and voted down plans to declare a nationwide housing emergency.
Commenting on the ONS figures, Ms Boyack said: “These latest ONS figures have merely illustrate what we in Edinburgh have known all along – there is a serious housing emergency.
“The only Edinburgh resident who doesn’t recognise this crisis is the one living in Bute House.
“The decision by the SNP, not to intervene to alleviate this situation shows their neglect for our capital city.
“Myself and other Scottish Labour MSPs will continue to push the Scottish Government to act.
“It is vital that Edinburgh gets the help it urgently needs, before this emergency escalates any further.”
