St John's is a large regional general hospital situated in the Howden district of Livingston in West Lothian. Officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 12th July 1990, construction began in 1975 with the intention of replacing Bangour General Hospital, which was located to the north of Livingston. Bangour had begun as a military hospital during World War II and developed into a regional centre thereafter. A second phase of St. John's, including a Nurse Training School opened in 1992.
Today, St John's has 550 beds divided between 29 wards. It is a centre for elective surgery, includes a 24-hour Accident and Emergency department, a large maternity unit and a wide range of specialist services including burns treatment, plastic surgery, a head and neck unit, a 12-bed intensive psychiatric care unit, and a special baby unit, together with a comprehensive range of outpatient services. Around 3000 babies are born here every year. A Short-Stay Elective Surgical Centre opened in 2011, and provides day surgery to around 3000 patients each year from across the Lothians, including many patients traveling from Edinburgh.
The hospital is run by NHS Lothian and serves as a teaching hospital for medical students at the University of Edinburgh, together with nurses studying at Edinburgh Napier University.
Howden Health Centre is located immediately to the north of the hospital, providing general practitioner services to local residents.
