Liberton Hospital

Earlier this week, my mother was transferred from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to Liberton Hospital, which specialises in treatment for its 170 elderly patients, plus an outpatient clinic. The staff are quite remarkable and must all have the patience of saints. It is also incredibly clean. My mother tells me it is cleaned from top to toe every single day; even the tops of the individual curtain tracks round each bed. I gather she was impressed. She tells me the food is excellent too - "much better than the RIE, and the porridge is delicious". The food at Liberton is prepared and cooked on site in its own kitchen; at the RIE it is brought in and reheated.

Ward 7 on the top (fourth) floor has remarkable views across the classic Edinburgh skyline from the Castle down the Royal Mile to Arthur's Seat, and to the Forth beyond. The ward also has a gym, which is not something I had expected, but as all the patients seem to have mobility problems and need physiotherapy, that is perhaps not so surprising.

Internally, the building is nothing to write home about, but externally it is a little unusual, being suspended in an external frame painted a rather odd shade of orange. It was designed by architect John Holt in 1963 as an adddition to, and now overshadowing, the Liberton Cottage Hospital of 1906 by Dick Peddie & Washington Browne. In fact the modern building so overhadows the old that I had not really noticed it. There will be plenty opportunity to go have a look as I suspect we may be visiting Liberton Hospital for a wee while.