Brain unit decision 'will save lives'

Walter Baxter suffered a brain haemorrhage nine years ago

A campaigner who fought to keep the Aberdeen neurosurgery unit open has welcomed the decision to retain the facility.

Walter Baxter - who suffered a brain haemorrhage nine years ago - said he believed the decision would save lives.

The Scottish Government was looking at plans to centralise expertise at one single centre, but Health Minister Shona Robison decided against such a move.

Mr Baxter told BBC Scotland that lives could have been lost if the decision had gone the other way.

Local welcome

He said: "They had even employed an implementation group to decide which of the four units was the best location.

"If we had done nothing about this it could well have went through.

"If that was the case I know it would have definitely cost lives, specifically for people in the north of Scotland."

Local politicians also welcomed the news, as did NHS Grampian.