3. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve NHS Lothian’s infrastructure in order to cope with East Lothian’s rising population. (S5O-03028)

The £70 million East Lothian community hospital is due to be complete in August, with capacity for 132 in-patient beds, along with 14 day beds for minor surgery and endoscopy patients.

NHS Lothian is developing a business case for a £2.8 million project to refurbish Harbours medical practice in Cockenzie and build an extension.

East Lothian’s population is the second-fastest growing in Scotland, with population projections for 2026 predicting a surge of nearly 10,000 people from regional migration alone.

Can the Cabinet secretary guarantee that the new hospital has been future proofed to meet the needs of East Lothian’s rapidly rising population? Has she commissioned an impact assessment of how the rising population will affect NHS Lothian’s overall provision of care?

Ms Ballantyne is correct: population figures show that East Lothian is one of the highest areas of growth, with growth of 23 per cent projected between 2012 and 2037. The highest growth in the population is projected to be among people aged over 65, whose numbers will increase by something like 72 per cent, and many of those people will be in single-occupant households.

All those are factors that boards—and health and social care partnerships, given the split in the rising population—are expected to take full account of as they plan their services. I understand that East Lothian Council and East Lothian health and social care partnership are fully cognisant of the figures—indeed, some of the figures came from those sources. With that knowledge, the board is actively engaged in the activity that I have announced and in considering what else it needs to do in relation to the provision of primary and intermediate care services.