CONTROVERSIAL plans to close the birthing unit at the Vale of Leven Hospital have been put on hold.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde agreed on Tuesady to pause its consultation on the future of the Vale's matetnity unit to give it time to adopt and evaluate a new five-year national maternity and neonatal strategy.

The decision safeguards the future of the birthing service at the Vale – at least for now – but the move has received only a highly qualified welcome from Helensburgh's MSP.

Jackie Baillie, a long-time campaigner in support of services at the Vale, said the board's decision needed to be accompanied by a new strategy to promote the Vale birthing unit to mums-to-be in Helensburgh, Lomond and West Dunbartonshire – and to provide the resources to support it.

Ms Baillie said: “Any plan to halt a consultation on cuts at the Vale of Leven Hospital is welcome.

“However let’s be clear that this is simply yet another delay which kicks the decision on closing the unit into the long grass. It is not the complete U-turn which local campaigners and the community in Dumbarton, Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond have demanded.

“The health board and the SNP Government have damaged the maternity unit by letting uncertainty over its future drag on for almost a year and a half. 

“Unless NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde takes immediate action to increase birth numbers at the Vale of Leven Hospital, the reality is that the number of babies born at the Vale will continue to fall and the health board will use that as an excuse for closure.

“One of the reasons behind the decline in birth numbers is the health board's failure to promote the service.

“Three quarters of local GPs have said that they were not even aware of any marketing activity, despite the promises made in the Vision for the Vale.

“We need an urgent commitment to a new strategy to promote the Vale maternity unit and the resources to back it up.

“Only then can we sustain the service in the long-term and ensure new generations of Vale babies for years to come."

The Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board agreed on Tuesday to develop an 'implementation plan' on the new five-year national strategy, known as 'Best Start'.

It will then assess the impact of the new plan on maternity care and associated outcomes.

The board says that during the 'redesign and review' period, services at the community maternity units at both the Vale and at Inverclyde Royal Hospital will remain in place.

Dr Margaret McGuire, NHSGGC nurse director, said: “This new national strategy report is a fundamentally different model of maternity care. The work will be developed in partnership with women and their children, staff and other key stakeholders nationally, regionally and locally.

“During this time, we’ll look at the whole maternity service in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and working with patients, design a service that meets their needs while still being safe and viable.

“We have decided to pause work on the consultations around the future of both birthing services at the existing CMUs.

“Once we have developed a new strategy only then will we be able to assess their viability against the new national strategy.”

An update will be delivered at a board meeting in autumn.