§ Mr. Ronald Bellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the availability of maternity beds in the Canadian Red Cross memorial hospital at Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, or any related hospitals for the period after the end of May.
§ Mr. MoyleI have been concerned for some time about the maternity services in East Berkshire, particularly when in. 1978 booking limits had to be imposed at the Canadian Red Cross memorial hospi-338W tal and at Heatherwood hospital, Ascot, which together provide the maternity services for the East Berkshire health district.
As a result of various measures taken, and with the co-operation of the consultant concerned, the booking limit at the Canadian Red Cross memorial hospital was lifted on 31 October 1978. However heavy pressure on this hospital led on 21 March 1979 to the imposition of a temporary hold on new bookings. Consideration is urgently being given to proposals which might provide additional beds at Heatherwood so as to reduce pressure on Canadian Red Cross, and three additional booking clinics have, in the meantime, been arranged to deal with cases deferred during the past week.