HC Deb 05 December 1966 vol 737 cc235-6W
Mr. Dempsey

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT up-to-date details of the various medical units he has approved for inclusion in the new general hospitals at Airdrie and Motherwell, respectively.

Mr. Ross

I have agreed to the planning of a general hospital at Airdrie to contain 587 acute beds and a general practitioner maternity unit of 24 beds. The ward design will permit flexibility in the use of the acute beds as between specialties, but the Regional Hospital Board at present envisages a division as follows:

Medicine … 101
Surgery … 101
Orthopaedics … 71
Gynaecology … 38
Paediatrics … 30
Ear, Nose and Throat … 30
Dermatology … 20
Accident and short stay … 12
Infectious diseases … 60
Geriatric assessment … 64
Acute psychiatry … 60

In its Hospital Development Plan for Lanarkshire the Western Regional Hospital Board proposes that the Motherwell General Hospital should have 877 acute beds; but the Board has still to complete its consultations on the plan and to submit details of the project for my approval.

Mr. Dempsey

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what dates he has approved for the start of the two new general hospitals in Lanarkshire; and how many patient beds he has approved for each respective hospital.

Mr. Ross

The proposed general hospital at Airdrie is planned to have 587 acute beds and is expected to start building in 1968/69.

The bed complement of the proposed general hospital at Motherwell has not yet been submitted for my approval, and its starting date has not been fixed. The Regional Hospital Board is discussing with the Boards of Management concerned the order of start in the period after 1971 at this hospital and the proposed general hospitals at Ayr and Paisley.