Astley Ainslie Hospital
The Astley Ainslie Hospital is a community hospital in the Grange area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is operated by NHS Lothian.[1]
Astley Ainslie Hospital | |
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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 |
Organisation | |
Type | Rehabilitation hospital |
Services | |
Beds | 14 |
History | |
Opened | 1923 |
Links | |
Website | Website |
Other links | List of hospitals in Scotland |
History
David Ainslie, who died in 1900, left a sum of money 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.[2] The hospital opened with 34 beds in 1923.[2] The landscaping of the grounds was executed by Roland Edgar Cooper, just prior to his becoming Head Curator of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.[3]
Pavilions were added to the east and west in 1929 and a nurses' home was completed in 1930.[4] The hospital joined the National Health Service in 1948.[2]
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.[4][5] The Charles Bell children's pavilion was completed in 1965 and the Cunningham Unit (a day centre and outpatient clinic) was completed in 1971.[4] A disabled living centre followed in 1979 and the Balfour Pavilion for older people was completed in 1983.[4]
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.[6] The centre provides 4,000 m2 of space and cost £7.5 million to construct, incorporating a number of environmentally friendly features.[7]
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.[8]
Services
The hospital specialises in rehabilitative care for people who have suffered brain injuries, stroke, orthopaedic or cardiac conditions and respite care for elderly people.[9]
References
- "Going to hospital: locations: Astley Ainslie Hospital". NHS Lothian. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- "History of Astley Ainslie Hospital". Lothian Health Services Archives. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "Roland Edgar Cooper (1890-1967)". Botanic Stories. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- "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.