Challenge is what’s next for elderly care in county

I WANT to focus on East Lothian’s own issues with health care provision.

An ageing population with complex needs has presented challenges to health provision in East Lothian, particularly in North Berwick and Dunbar. The Integration Joint Board (IJB) last week made the decision to close The Abbey and beds at the Edington Hospital in North Berwick, and Belhaven Hospital in Dunbar. The three facilities were very aged and weren’t fit for purpose in regards to modern-day standards.

My dad was in Belhaven Hospital for a numIN of months and suffered from dementia. This was over six years ago. There were no ensuite toilet facilities at the time. He fell at the hospital and broke his hip.

The three facilities have been used by many thousands of families over the years and are well loved.

The challenge for East Lothian Council and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership is what’s next for elderly care, particularly palliative and respite care.

I am meeting the community councils in Dunbar and North Berwick to discuss the next steps and will be engaging with both the council and East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership.

Provision of care must be balanced between care at home and provision of respite and palliative care on site. I will be consulting with local communities across East Lothian. I will update readers through this column in the weeks and months ahead.

Meanwhile, First Minister Humza Yousaf has demanded the UK Government stops arming Israel in its Gaza war. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government issues many denials of crimes and law-breaking but relentless bombardment means 33,000 dead, mainly women and children; hospitals unusable; refugee camps attacked; family homes and infrastructure services destroyed; and farmland laid waste.

It is an outrage to Scotland’s moral values that, as part of the UK, Scotland is complicit in exporting weapons bringing terror to innocent Gazans, making their homeland uninhabitable. The targeting of aid workers brings to nearly 200 the total of those killed while helping others. UK arms exports must be stopped immediately.