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If you want to keep up to date with how this programme is progressing, you might like to now that its latest newsletter is now available. Lots of good things happening – try and have a look if you can.

I’ve ben asked to share this letter from Lorraine Cowan, Brian Robb, Andrew Milne, Philp Galbraith, Councillor John McMillan and Thomas Miller. Here goes…

Dear Staff Member

FAO: ALL Grey Fleet &  Pool Car Drivers

FAO: ALL Staff who do not use private vehicles for Domiciliary Care

As you are aware our new hospital has now opened and over the next few months construction work including  demolishing the last remaining buildings will continue to allow the groundwork to progress creating additional parking and landscaping. 

The following describes the efforts being made to manage the limited car parking in order to maximise opportunities for patients, visitors and those staff that require to park onsite.

Within the North Car Park there will be approx 150 parking spaces inclusive of Disabled parking. These spaces will be for use only by patients, visitors and some staff.  

North Parking Bays – Staff Parking – 22 spaces, nearest to Alderston Road

Central Parking Bays – Staff Parking – 65 spaces

South Parking Bays– Patient & Visitor Only Parking  – 63 spaces

Disabled Parking – Area outside ELCH Entrance

Drop off area directly at the front of the Hospital entrance is not a parking area and must remain free at all times to allow uninterrupted operational use.

Please note that it is not be acceptable to park in the Visitor Parking area if any of the designated Staff areas identified above are full.  You would in this instance, require to park off site appropriately and while doing so please ensure the following notes are applied:

• Drivers should be aware that you cannot park or wait on double yellow lines at any time.
• You must not wait or park on single yellow lines at the times stated on corresponding signs.
• Unless you are entitled to, you must not park in disabled parking spaces or resident parking spaces.
• You must also not park, within 10 metres of a junction, over a dropped kerb and in front of an entrance to a property
• It is very important that we respect our residential neighbours and remember, do not park in residential parking bays and ensure you park in a manner that will not obstruct footways, driveways or junctions.

Parking of All Grey Fleet  and Pool Vehicles

With immediate effect and only during the final construction stages at ELCH, all pool cars and grey fleet vehicles must be parked at the Herdmanflat Hospital site. 

This car park is monitored by security and is being retained specifically to relieve pressure of parking at the ELCH. 

This has been agreed with the executive management team and partnership colleagues.

The site management team understand the frustrations surrounding this matter and they continue to engage with the local community.

Both Morrison Construction and NHS Lothian teams have been in communication with local residents, East Lothian Council & Police Scotland and have made assurances that we will continue to monitor parking and will continue this until it is no longer required.

NHS Lothian regret any inconvenience caused to local residents and staff and would like to thank them for their on-going patience during this time.,

The new Community Hospital is a significant investment in East Lothian’s healthcare provision and we appreciate the continued support of the local community during this further construction phase.

The process for deciding how much the council will raise in income and spend on services in future years is an ongoing process. And they have just launched their annual consultation process.

Plans will be affected by changing political structures, new demands or legislation, the state of the general economy, demographics and the events that we cannot always predict. However, there are a number of key documents such as The Council Plan 2017-2022 and the annual budget.

Make sure you have your say – decisions about the council’s budget impact on all of us in the Partnership. Take a look and tell the council what you think the important areas are – http://socsi.in/BMljF

The next meeting on transforming services for older people is on 14 January 2020 from 13.00-16.00 at the new East Lothian Community Hospital. This marks the beginning of the next phase of reproviding services currently provided at the Edington and Belhaven Hospitals and Abbey and Eskgreen Care Homes and follows on from the meeting some local representives came to with Hub South East at Queen Margaret University in June.

There has been a delay in convening this meeting, as we were waiting for the project team delivering the new Community Hospital to be free. The hospital opened in November, and the team, including Hub South East, are now able to take this reprovisioning work forward. We have decided to hold our meeting in the Community Hall at the new hospital so that you can have a look around and see what they have achieved. There will be an opportunity to take a tour of the hospital and we hope you will be able to join us beforehand for a light buffet lunch. We are inviting representatives from across East Lothian as this work will result in provision for people in all our communities.

At this meeting, we hope to provide more information about the timeline for the work and to look with you at how local communities will be involved. Many of you have nominees ready and waiting to take part in local project teams. It would be really helpful if you could share this invitation through your networks so that anyone with an interest may attend.

We hope that you will be able to attend, or nominate someone else to represent your group and interests.

Thank you very much for your continuing patience and support.

It would be great if you could confirm your attendance by email to elhscp@eastlothian.gov.uk

Health and social care staff have time to Be Incredible Again and get a flu jab this winter. There are still clinics available in December.  Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect patients, the community, yourself and your family from this potentially serious, preventable disease.

If you don’t manage to get vaccinated before the New Year, please email the flu mailbox address below and an appointment will be arranged for you:

EastLothianHSCP.Flu@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

You can also contact your social care staff flu lead, Margaret Drew at Margaret.drew@eastlothian.gov.uk

Don’t delay. Be Incredible. Again.