The Astley Ainslie Hospital is a community hospital in The Grange, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is operated by NHS Lothian.[1][2]
| Astley Ainslie Hospital | |
|---|---|
| NHS Lothian | |
 The Astley Ainslie Hospital viewed from Blackford Hill | |
  Shown in Edinburgh | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland. |
| Coordinates | 55°55′50″N 3°11′50″W / 55.93056°N 3.19722°W |
| Organisation | |
| Type | Rehabilitation hospital |
| Services | |
| Beds | 14 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1923 |
| Links | |
| Website | Website |
| Other links | List of hospitals in Scotland |
History
edit
David Ainslie, who died in 1900, left £800,000[3] for the purpose of building and endowing a hospital or institution for convalescents from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He wanted it to be called the Astley Ainslie Institution.[4] The hospital opened with 34 beds in 1923.[4] The landscaping of the grounds was executed by Roland Edgar Cooper, just prior to his becoming Head Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.[5] The site may have had a medical connection since the 1500s.[3]
Pavilions were added to the east and west in 1929 and a nurses' home was completed in 1930.[6] The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948.[4]
In the 1950s, Colonel John Fraser, while medical superintendent at the hospital, built a collection of ecclesiastical stones, some bearing initials and dates, into a specially constructed stone panel in the south boundary wall of his residence, South Bank.[6][7] The Charles Bell children's pavilion was completed in 1965 and the Cunningham Unit (a day centre and outpatient clinic) was completed in 1971.[6] A disabled living centre followed in 1979 and the Balfour Pavilion for older people was completed in 1983.[6]
In 2007 the hospital became the home of the Southeast Mobility and Rehabilitation Technology Centre ("SMART Centre"): the centre was designed to house clinical, technical, office and storage facilities for a range of rehabilitation services.[8] The centre provides 4,000 m2 of space and cost £7.5 million to construct, incorporating a number of environmentally friendly features.[9]
In 2014, the health board considered proposals to demolish the hospital and three others, with a view to replacing these facilities with care villages which would consist of buildings more suited to social care.[10]
By 2021, the 17-hectare (42-acre) campus site was proposed for sale in the late 2020s, provided funding could be obtained for replacement facilities at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. The value of the wooded parkland, that is open to the public, was recognised by the local NHS Lothian health board. The Astley Ainslie Community Trust was set up to campaign to protect the trees in the site. Members of the trust include Ian Rankin.[3] The two thousand trees include some that are unusual in the UK such as Atlas cedar, wellingtonia, cedar of Lebanon, deodar cedar, Bhutan pine and Monterey cypress as well as many more common species of oaks, firs, cherry and chestnuts. Some are protected with tree preservation orders.[3]
Services
editThe hospital specialises in rehabilitative care for people who have suffered brain injuries, stroke, orthopaedic or cardiac conditions and respite care for elderly people.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Going to hospital: locations: Astley Ainslie Hospital". NHS Lothian. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "EH9 2HL - Check My Postcode". checkmypostcode.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d Carrell, Severin; MacLeod, Murdo (27 July 2021). "'It's just vital': Edinburgh activists rally to protect Astley Ainslie's green space". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ a b c "History of Astley Ainslie Hospital". Lothian Health Services Archives. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ "Roland Edgar Cooper (1890-1967)". Botanic Stories. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d "History of the site of the Astley Ainslie Hospital". Grange Association, Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ "Edinburgh, 143 Grange Loan, Astley Ainslie Hospital". Canmore. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- ^ "About us". Southeast Mobility and Rehabilitation Technology Centre. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- ^ "State-of-the-art SMART Centre to Celebrate Official Opening". NHS Lothian. 28 February 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Hospitals facing care village axe". Edinburgh News. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
- ^ "Your guide to the Astley Ainslie Hospital: Information for patients, relatives and carers" (PDF). NHS Lothian. March 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.