Hospital book aims to inspire

A BOOK documenting life- changing events for patients at the city's psychiatric hospital is to be published.

The work will focus on the mid-to-late-1990s as mental health care shifted from the Royal Edinburgh hospital to the community.

Stories of Changing Lives, funded by NHS Lothian and created by the hospital's patients council, will focus on the experiences of patients, carers and staff and how they adjusted to the switch.

Health chiefs said they hoped the book would provide inspiration to others looking to build a life in their community.

Linda Irvine, strategic programme manager for NHS Lothian, said: "This book tells the extraordinary stories of remarkable people who made huge changes in their lives.

"It echoes our message that recovery can be a reality for people with a mental health illness. I would encourage everyone to read it."