§ 89. Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether in view of the facts that the population of Glenrothes is now 13,000, will shortly rise to 18,000 and subsequently to 30,000, that it is a predominantly young population with a high birth rate, and that expectant mothers have now to travel from 20 to 30 miles for maternity accommodation, he will now consider the immediate drawing up of plans for a new maternity hospital in the town.
§ Mr. MaclayThe regional hospital board takes the view that it is much better to build up the Forth Park Maternity Hospital at Kirkcaldy to provide a fully comprehensive maternity hospital for the whole area. A smaller unit at Glenrothes could not have the same facilities and would be much more difficult to staff. Forth Park is seven miles from Glenrothes and can conveniently serve the population of the new town.
§ 91. Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how soon the regional hospital board expects to provide the 30 additional beds at the Maternity Hospital at Dunfermline.
§ Mr. MaclayNo date can be given, but the regional hospital board intends to find a place for this development in its building programme as soon as competing claims on its resources allow.
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many maternity hospitals and beds there are in Fife and the South Eastern Hospital Region, respectively; and how many beds per 1,000 of population, are represented by these figures.
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§ Mr. MaclayThe figures are as follows:
—— South Eastern Region Fife Maternity hospitals 12 4 Other hospitals with maternity beds 8 — Total number of maternity beds 662 166 Number of beds per1,000 population 0.57 0.51
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many maternity homes in Scotland and the South Eastern Region, respectively, have had less than £6,000 spent on them in capital investment in the last five years.
§ Mr. MaclayIn Scotland 37, in the South-Eastern Region 10. These figures exclude hospitals containing both maternity beds and other beds.
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of patients entering the Dunfermline Maternity Home, in each of the last five years, has been under 21 years of age; and whether this proportion has been higher than the average for Scotland as a whole.
§ Mr. MaclayThe only years for which figures are available are 1954 when 9 per cent. of patients at the Dunfermline Maternity Hospital were under twenty-one years of age, and 1958 when the corresponding figure was 12–2 per cent. Figures for Scotland as a whole are not available.
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why there has been no capital investment in the ante-natal clinic at the Dunfermline Maternity Hospital for each of the last five years; why only approximately £2,000 has been spent on sanitary accommodation; and why only just over £1,000 has been spent on ward sterilising rooms in the same period.
§ Mr. MaclayThe regional board each year adjusts its programme of expenditure according to the best judgment it can make of the priorities. The board does not set out to spend at any fixed 31W amount rate on each hospital. Its expenditure on capital account at this hospital in the last ten years represents 17 per cent. of the total expenditure on maternity units in the region, although the hospital contains only 7.5 per cent. of the maternity beds. Work on the sanitary accommodation is in progress at the present time and it is expected that about a further £4,000 will be spent during the current financial year.
§ Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in view of the urgent need for additional provision of maternity accommodation in West Fife, he will urge the regional hospital board to take an early decision on the future of the isolation hospital at Milesmark, near Dunfermline.
§ Mr. MaclayThe regional board will reach a decision as soon as it has completed all the necessary consultations. If a new use for the hospital proves feasible, there are other urgent needs for which it may be more suitable than for maternity.