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
NHS Lothian
The Astley Ainslie Hospital viewed from Blackford Hill
Shown in Edinburgh
Geography
LocationEdinburgh, Scotland.
Coordinates55°55′50″N 3°11′50″W
Organisation
TypeRehabilitation hospital
Services
Beds14
History
Opened1923
Links
WebsiteWebsite
Other linksList 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
  1. "Going to hospital: locations: Astley Ainslie Hospital". NHS Lothian. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  2. "History of Astley Ainslie Hospital". Lothian Health Services Archives. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  3. "Roland Edgar Cooper (1890-1967)". Botanic Stories. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  4. "History of the site of the Astley Ainslie Hospital". Grange Association, Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  5. "Edinburgh, 143 Grange Loan, Astley Ainslie Hospital". Canmore. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  6. "About us". Southeast Mobility and Rehabilitation Technology Centre. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  7. "State-of-the-art SMART Centre to Celebrate Official Opening". NHS Lothian. 28 February 2007. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  8. "Hospitals facing care village axe". Edinburgh News. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  9. "Your guide to the Astley Ainslie Hospital: Information for patients, relatives and carers" (PDF). NHS Lothian. March 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
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