Maternity merger plans revealed

The proposals to extend Southern General would cost £28m

A £28m plan to extend and modernise the Southern General Maternity Unit has been unveiled.

The extension would allow maternity services at the Queen Mother's Hospital to transfer to either the Princess Royal or the Southern General.

This will complete the merger of Glasgow's three maternity units to two.

The proposed plan for the Southern General meets all of the recommendations made by an executive clinical advisory group.

The proposals, which have been approved by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Board and submitted to the Scottish Executive for formal approval, would see the capacity of the Southern General significantly increased and enable it to provide a wider range of services.

State of the art

Capacity has already increased at the Princess Royal Maternity, following the transfer of beds from the Queen Mother's Hospital on October 2006 to create a new 18-bed ward.

The proposed upgrade will involve a major new three-storey extension built alongside the existing maternity building, which would bring together neonatal medical and surgical intensive care services. These are currently provided in The Queen Mother's Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

A new state-of-the-art labour suite and two obstetric theatres are planned along with a brand new foetal medicine department, providing specialist diagnostic facilities and treatment to unborn babies in the womb from across Scotland.

Labour wards and day care facilities would undergo a major refurbishment.

Dr Jonathan Coutts, clinical director for neonatology, based at The Queen Mother's Hospital, said clinical staff had been closely involved in developing the plans.

These plans will deliver the gold standard of triple co-location of adult, children's and maternity services on the same site Dr Alan Mathers Princess Royal Maternity

He added: "We looked at a number of different options to achieve the best possible links with the new children's hospital and we are confident that this layout offers the best solution for newborn babies and staff.

"It will also see the Southern General Maternity Unit becoming the national centre for a range of specialist neonatal services."

Dr Alan Mathers, clinical director for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, based at the Princess Royal Maternity, said: "These plans will deliver the gold standard of triple co-location of adult, children's and maternity services on the same site."

Disruption to existing services would be minimal, he added.

Increased capacity

Collectively the two Glasgow maternity units are expected to deal with about 12,000 births each year, though NHS chiefs claim capacity could be increased.

If the plans to modernise and extend the Southern General Maternity Unit are approved by the minister for health, work is expected to start in late 2007 with the building work completed by the end of 2009.

Pauline McNeill, Labour MSP for Kelvinside, who had backed a high profile campaign to save the Queen Mother's maternity unit from closure, said she welcomed the fact that the plans were informed by the Calder Group's clinical advisors.

She said: "I had concerns that there would not be sufficient capacity, but I have been given assurances by the minister that there will be.

"I am also anxious that the services move together and there is no gap in provision."