Jardine Calls for Urgent Funding to Replace Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion

Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine has called on the UK Government to include funding for crumbling NHS hospitals across the UK and for the SNP Government to spend some of the consequential funding on the Edinburgh Eye Pavilion.

That money would come to Scotland as a result of the so-called Barnett funding formula which commits finance based on a proportion of the UK Government commitment to Holyrood’s budget.

The Eye Pavilion provides vital care for the management and treatment of conditions affecting the eyes, and its closure is likely to impact ophthalmology waiting times across all of NHS Lothian. Edinburgh will also now be the only major city in the UK without access to essential eye services.

While many patients have been reassured that their appointments will be relocated to other NHS sites, valid concerns remain about widespread delays and access to care.

The Scottish Government has been aware of the unsuitability of the building since 2015 and have failed to prevent this closure.

Christine Jardine said:

“It is beyond unacceptable that my constituents are being left without access to vital eye services here in Edinburgh, causing huge distress and in some cases putting their vision at risk.

“Many constituents who have regular appointments at the Eye Pavilion are currently finding them disrupted, and if they do not maintain their treatments, they risk losing their sight altogether.

“I recently wrote to Neil Gray, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, and have been dismayed at his failure to commit to urgent funding for this project. That is not good enough.

“We have known for nearly a decade that the Eye Pavilion was in trouble and yet the SNP has failed to prevent this disaster.

“It is vital now that the UK Government releases funding so that the Scottish Government has no choice but to replace the building.