§ Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many redundancies Ayrshire and Arran health board expect to result from the closure of Ravenspark hospital; and how many of these will occur among(a) ancillary, (b) nursing and (c) medical staff;
(2) what assurances have been sought by Ayrshire and Arran health board or the Community Health Care NHS trust from the companies bidding for replacement provision resulting from the closure of Ravenspark hospital as regards the employment of national health service employees who will be made redundant by the closure of Ravenspark hospital.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 14 June 1994]: It is anticipated that Ravenspark hospital will close in early 1995. It is too early to talk about specific redundancies at this stage.
All prospective tenderers have indicated to the health board that their recruitment programmes would give first consideration to staff currently caring for patients who will be transferred from Ravenspark hospital to the new facilities under their ownership and management. For its part, the community healthcare trust will ensure that staff and patient welfare issues are actively addressed during closure to ensure a smooth transition in the interests of staff and of quality patient care.