Construction at the new East Lothian Community Hospital has reached a “major milestone” following the installation of the roof and windows, meaning the three-storey, 22,000m² building is now fully weathertight.

‘‘While there are still external works to be undertaken more of our focus will now move to the internal works of the development. Due to the phased construction programme, different sections of the build are at different stages of completion and our focus is now on the planned sequence as we work toward completion,” the project director, Philip Galbraith of Morrison Construction, explained.

Construction at the new site began in 2016 on the site of the old Roodlands hospital, delivered by NHS Lothian alongside Hub South East, a public-private partnership building new community facilities across the region.

Richard Park, head of operations at the company, said: “Following the successful delivery of the Outpatients Department last year, it’s exciting to see the remainder of the development taking shape. This is the largest value project on site in Scotland through the Hub programme and we’re proud that it’s progressing so well.”

Alison MacDonald, of East Lothian Health & Social Care Partnership, added: “The new facilities will see a return of some services to East Lothian with an increase of inpatient beds. With the help of our patients, this project will allow our staff to continue to provide safe, effective healthcare and rehabilitation.”