Morrison Construction is continuing work on the new £70 million East Lothian Community Hospital.

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport, Shona Robison, visited the site on Thursday to put the finishing touches to the new hospital's roof. Overall, the scheme is scheduled to be complete in 2020.

Morrison's programme of works will see a modern and purpose-built hospital developed on the existing Roodlands site in Haddington, helping improve the quality of care for people in East Lothian. So far, work on a new car park has been completed while the new Out-Patients departments should be open early next year.

Speaking at the site, Ms Robinson said: "This new hospital brings state of the art facilities to East Lothian, allowing many people in the area to be treated closer to home.

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"This is an important step forward for the communities in East Lothian and we are a step closer to seeing this new facility become a reality.

"The Scottish Government is investing over £1.2 billion on the NHS estate over the next three years. Our investment in these new facilities will help us to achieve our ambition of transforming the way health and social care services are delivered, keeping NHS Scotland at the forefront of delivering world-class care."

Morrison Construction Managing Director Eddie Robertson said: "It is great to see the shell of this major infrastructure project substantially complete, giving people a visible reminder of this much-anticipated community facility. Seeing the hospital take shape is creating a lot of fresh interest in the local community and among healthcare staff.

"Progress on the site is continuing to gain momentum with works on the roofing, external walls and the internal fit out all underway.

"We are also thrilled to be working with pupils from six local high schools to help them gain a solid grounding in the skills demanded by the modern construction industry, including mentoring support, on-site experience and work placement opportunities. Attracting the very brightest and creative young minds into the built environment sector is essential to the health and vibrancy of this critical industry."

(LM)