Boyack questions Royal Victoria Hospital future

Published on 09/02/2013 12:01

AN MSP has said “big question marks remain” over the future of the old Royal Victoria Hospital in the Capital.

The hospital was shut down in August and was expected to be sold after it was replaced by a new state-of-the-art £43 million building at the Western General Hospital.

But it was reopened just four months later to cope with a surge in patient numbers.

NHS Lothian bosses said the move was a temporary measure but, as the News revealed this week, discussions are under way that could see the hospital remain permanently open.

Labour Lothians MSP Sarah Boyack said: “In the space of six months the old hospital has gone from being not fit for purpose to potentially remaining a permanent fixture. When the health board were forced to reopen the site over Christmas, we were told it was a temporary fix. However, if it is to stay open indefinitely, significant investment will be needed to bring it up to scratch.

“Closure and sale of the old hospital was part of the business case for the new building and would have helped to bring down the health board’s £140m maintenance backlog. This U-turn will therefore have a knock-on impact for the board’s already stretched resources.

“The Scottish Government must outline what support it will provide to help the health board address the underlying capacity issues it is facing.”