Current status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to assist Argyll and Clyde NHS Board in restoring maternity services to the Vale of Leven District General Hospital.
The appointment of the interim management team to NHS Argyll and Clyde, which I announced on 17 December, enables a range of strategic and operational issues to be addressed. Work had already begun on a review of maternity services across Argyll and Clyde. There will now be wide consultation with the public and with staff about options for maternity services, as part of the review. The outcome of the review will be shaped by this consultation process and by relevant departmental guidance, including the Framework for Maternity Services, published in February 2001, and the report of the Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services, published on 18 December 2002; and will guide future patterns of maternity services at the Vale of Leven District General Hospital.