§ 3. Mr. Nottasked the Minister of Health what is the average distance that an emergency maternity case has to travel to a fully equipped maternity unit in the United Kingdom and the longest distance that such an emergency would have to travel in the maternity wing of the Miners and General Hospital, Redruth.
§ Mr. SnowThe information required for the United Kingdom is not available. The longest distance that such an emergency would have to travel to Camborne-Redruth Hospital, excluding infrequent cases from the Scilly Isles, is 37 miles.
§ Mr. NottDoes not the hon. Gentleman feel that this distance of 37 miles, which will be increased when the Redruth Hospital closes and Treliske Hospital opens, is extremely long for an emergency case to have to travel? Will he look into this? Secondly, does he feel that the ambulance services are adequate to cope with this sort of distance?
§ Mr. SnowOn the last point, if the hon. Gentleman has some case in mind, I should be very happy to look into it. With regard to emergency cases, the hon. Gentleman will be aware of the provision of a flying squad at Redruth, about which there is another Question on the Order Paper.