Alex Neil, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, officially opened the new £12 million Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre in December 2013.
The 4931 square metre Centre, a joint project between NHS Lothian and The City of Edinburgh Council, will be an important hub for the provision of health and social care services for local residents.
Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre is home to the Wester Hailes Medical Practice and also provides a wide range of community health services including physiotherapy, learning disabilities, midwifery, podiatry and dentistry. In addition, council services will be delivered by teams in the Centre such as health and social care, children and families, and criminal justice.
The community based voluntary organisation, Wester Hailes Health Agency, is also based within the new Centre, providing a range of therapeutic services and classes, as well as its satellite projects such as the Wester Haven cancer support project.
Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “I am delighted to officially open the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, which will deliver a wide range of health and social care services right in the heart of its local community.
“We want everyone in Scotland to have access to the best facilities on their doorstep. That is why we are investing in building projects, like this Healthly Living Centre, which allows staff to work in the best possible surroundings and ensure local communities have access to all the services they need in purpose-built, modern facilities.
“This project, delivered through the hub initiative, is supported by the Scottish Government in partnership with NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Futures Trust. I am grateful to everyone who has played a part in helping us to deliver this integrated centre and its range of lifeline services for the people of Wester Hailes.”
Brian Houston, Chair, NHS Lothian, said: “This new centre will provide comprehensive, integrated services for the local community under one roof, providing easier access to a wide range of health and social care support. The Centre will play an important role in delivering a high level of patient care and patient experience for local residents and future generations too.”
The local community provided their own contribution to the Centre through youth outreach project Street Arts. The project worked with a group of 84 young people to create the Healthy Living Centre Mural, which now takes pride of place in the main foyer of the Centre.
Councillor Ricky Henderson, Convener of Health and Wellbeing at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This fantastic facility is a real benefit to local residents by providing a one-stop shop for their health needs. As well as being home to key Council social care teams, it is also a centre point for the local community and gives service providers the ability to deliver quality, integrated services to those who need them.
“This Council is committed to ensuring that residents are well cared for and improving their quality of life, and working in partnership with NHS Lothian will allow us to achieve this through the opening of centres like this.”
The three-storey development has been delivered in partnership with Hub South East Scotland Ltd. which managed the build by Morrison Construction.
Paul McGirk, Chief Executive of Hub South East Scotland, said: “We are proud to have delivered our first joint project in partnership with both NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council. The Centre was delivered 11 weeks early and we are delighted it has been so well received. This project is an excellent example of how the Hub model facilitates true partnership working and delivers real community benefits.”
Eunice Main from the Digital Sentinel who met the Minister said:-“I was delighted to meet the minister, and it was nice that the opening took place at the same time we were having Christmas celebrations. I was wearing my Let it Snow hat!”
