Reopening Campaign
The Friends were active in campaigning for the reopening of the hospital or the reprovisioning of the services which it formerly provided, in conjunction with the North Berwick Community Council and the North Berwick Health and Wellbeing Association. Our campaign initially focused on three main tactics: considering whether there were any legal means to force NHS Lothian and the ELHSCP to re-open the hospital; calling for action from local politicians, MSPs and the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, and through the co-ordination of public concern in North Berwick and the organisation of events and demonstrations in the town.
In July 2023 the Health & Social Care Minister issued a letter in unambiguous terms clearly stating that the Hospital would not be re-opened as an in-patient unit. Although extremely disappointed by this turn of events, the Friends concluded that it would not be an appropriate use of their assets to continue to finance any further campaigning. The Trustees are therefore now utilising their assets in other ways in order to continue to achieve their charitable purpose – see How We’ve Helped.
Campaign Video Autumn 2022
Sports clubs, leisure facilities and a buzzing high street are all part of our vibrant community. So was the Edington Cottage Hospital. This video highlights the community's support for the Hands Around The Edington campaign to reinstate the vital community-based healthcare services which the Hospital formerly provided.
Campaign posts on Facebook
NORTH BERWICK COMMUNITY TURNS OUT IN NUMBERS FOR THE EDINGTON - SEPTEMBER 2022
- Around 400 Residents Parade Along North Berwick High Street as Tribute to Cottage Hospital -
Around 400 East Lothian residents of all ages stepped out today to show their affection for the Edington Cottage Hospital, a local institution that had been part of the fabric of the North Berwick Coastal community for over 100 years until it was forced closed last September by the health board.
The parade, organised by the Hands Around The Edington campaign and led by the North Berwick Pipe Band, drew a huge crowd with coaches and players from North Berwick Rugby and Football Clubs among the supporters. One hundred heart-shaped balloons, representing a centenary of care and the central motif for the campaign, were held aloft as the parade made its way along North Berwick High Street, onlookers clapping as the procession passed by.
Murray Duncanson, chair of the Friends of the Edington and lead member of the Hands Around The Edington campaign team, said: “We put on this parade as an uplifting tribute to a cottage hospital that has served this community for nearly 110 years. Everyone here has a story to tell: whether it’s being cleaned up, stitched up or bandaged up after an accident or being able to be close to a loved one as they see out their final days. I think we all feel that, while we cannot fix the staffing crisis at the NHS, we can show that the Edington means something to us all, that it is valued by us all and that the services that have been temporarily removed are acutely felt by us all.”
North Berwick resident Chris Tabraham recounted just how valuable the Edington was for his sister, who spent her final days at the hospital: “In 2010, my sister Helen was diagnosed with cancer and dispatched to the Western General, on the west side of Edinburgh, for surgery. As it transpired, she was found to be too far gone and for several days thereafter I had to make the far-from-easy journey from North Berwick to the Western to spend time at her bedside. She was in a side ward and seemingly largely ignored. Her appearance deteriorated and with it her will. After a week or so she was brought home to North Berwick and admitted into the care of the Edington staff. The transformation was immediate. They couldn’t do enough for Helen. They washed her hair, they chatted with her and, although there was nothing they could do to make her better, their palliative care was nothing short of remarkable. They gave Helen her dignity and self-respect back. Furthermore, I was able to pop in ‘as and when’ to sit with her; I did just that on Burns Night 2010, reading some of her favourite poems. She passed away later that night, having been surrounded by nothing but love for those last few precious days. That is why I truly believe the Edington to be a vital part of North Berwick’s life, as it has been for over a century.”
In September 2021, East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP) closed the Edington in response to staffing shortages combined with unprecedented levels of demand during the COVID pandemic. All patients and staff were relocated to East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington, a hospital connected only by an infrequent daytime bus service from North Berwick. Despite a population growth of 11.5% between 2011 and 2020, North Berwick coastal ward remains one of two remote rural areas in the whole of the Lothians and the Edington had provided community-based palliative and end-of-life care for over 100 years as well as operating the only minor injuries unit in East Lothian.
SONGS OF PRAISE FOR THE EDINGTON HOSPITAL - MARCH 2022
- North Berwick Gospel Choir Helps Raise £168.55 for Hands Around the Edington Campaign -
Crowds turned up on a sunny Sunday morning (Sunday 20th March) to sing the praises of the Edington hospital in North Berwick, six months after the doors were suddenly closed by East Lothian Health & Social Care Partnership (ELHSCP) and staff and patients relocated to East Lothian Community Hospital in Haddington.
Residents of all ages gathered outside the hospital to listen to uplifting songs performed live by the 40-strong Gospel Choir, North Berwick.
The event, supported by the local Co-op, raised £168.55 for the Hands Around the Edington campaign, which was set up by a local commissioning group comprising North Berwick Community Council (NBCC), North Berwick Coastal Health & Wellbeing Association and the Friend of the Edington to represent the collective voices of the community in pushing for the full reinstatement of services at the hospital.
Judy Lockhart-Hunter, Chair of NBCC, said: “Speaking to a lot of the people who came along, the feeling of injustice is still very strong and the sense of loss acute. I’ve heard many stories of long hospital trips that could have been avoided had the Edington been open. The Edington holds a special place in people’s hearts here and we will keep the pressure on ELHSCP to ensure that it is reopened as soon as is feasible.”
Among the audience were Steering Group MSPs Craig Hoy and Martin Whitfield, as well as Shadow Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jackie Baillie
Craig Hoy MSP said: “I would like to thank the gospel choir and everyone involved for an enjoyable morning which once again drew attention to the need for NHS Lothian and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership to urgently reopen the Edington. The onus is also on the Scottish Government to deal with the underlying staffing and recruitment problems which are reportedly forcing local NHS managers to keep the hospital closed. I will continue to press the Scottish Government to engage on this issue and do whatever is needed to reopen this vital care and treatment facility.”
Martin Whitfield MSP added: “It was wonderful to join with the Community at the sing along event on Sunday organised by Hands Around the Edington. It was heart-warming to see so many people out enjoying themselves and singing in support of The Edington. A roadmap to the reopening must now be agreed.”
In the last review held by NHS Gold Command on Thursday 24th February, the score determining reopening prospects for the Edington stood at 9 (out of 9), unmoving since criteria were set by ELHSCP the month prior. Ongoing staff shortages and lack of bed supply are still cutting deep into operational woes across the region.
Hilary Smith, co-chair of North Berwick Coastal Health & Wellbeing Association, said: “It’s deeply disheartening to keep hearing that the health board is struggling to recruit and retain senior nursing staff and a stark indication that real reform is needed. There are two issues here, short-term cover and long-term planning. The two are often conflated but the problems/solutions are different and we have asked to see what more creative recruitment strategies are in place to stem this brain drain.”
7th November 2021 - Read a transcript of Chairman Murray Duncanson’s speech from the Edington community rally here.
9th September 2021 - The following letter was published in the East Lothian Courier:
7th September 2021 - Click here to view a letter sent from the Chairman of the Friends to Peter Murray the Chairman of Integrated Joint Board.