THE VALE of Leven hospital's maternity unit is on the brink of closure.

Labour politicians are calling for the SNP-led Scottish Government to keep repeated promises to protect the maternity ward.

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) health board voted on Tuesday to begin the public consultation process to close the maternity unit at the Vale, which would see all births transferred to other units including Paisley's Royal Alexandra and Govan's Queen Elizabeth University hospitals.

So far, the proposed closure has not been designated as a major service change, preventing a full consultation.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Reporter in February before the May 2016 Scottish Parliament election that she is “committed to seeing it [the Vale] continue as a strong local hospital”.

When Ms. Baillie revealed leaked documents showing plans to close the Vale's maternity unit, Sturgeon said: “As I have made clear, and as the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport has made clear, we will not approve proposals that run counter to the Vision for the Vale.”

The 2009 “Vision for the Vale” plans committed to protecting and promoting hospital services, including the maternity unit, until at least July 2011. The marketing effort appears to have failed, as the number of births at the hospital has declined steeply in recent years.

The NHS GGC board has this year repeatedly advanced plans to close the unit despite SNP statements claiming to back the current services at the Vale. A majority of the GGC board are appointed by the health, wellbeing and sport cabinet secretary Shona Robison.

Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie said: “The Vision for the Vale promised to sustain local delivery services at the Community Maternity Unit (CMU) and the SNP Government must ensure that these promises are kept.

“I will be working alongside local campaigners to demand the SNP health secretary’s intervention to save our local services.

“The health board’s attempt to try and rush this closure through while paying minimal lip service to public consultation is yet another slap in the face for local families.

“This is not a genuine and meaningful consultation and the health board’s claim that engagement has already taken place is, quite frankly, ludicrous.

"The health board has a £69m black hole in its budget this year and it is clearly determined to cut our local services without listening to the views of people in our communities.

“Only the SNP Government has the power now to step in and save our local services. The cabinet secretary must insist that the final decision on the CMU is hers and hers alone. The SNP must not remain silent while the health board rips up the promises made in the Vision for the Vale.”

Health Secretary Shona Robison said she still saw "a bright future for the hospital."

She said: “No final decisions have been made on these proposals and the Scottish Government has not approved the proposals considered by the board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde today.

“The board must now engage with the affected local communities, staff, and other stakeholders so they can carefully consider their views. We would encourage everyone to engage with this process and feedback to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

“This government recognises that these are valued local services. NHS Greater and Glasgow has a record high budget this year of over £2bn, which has increased by over 27 per cent under this Government.”

West Dunbartonshire MP Martin Docherty Hughes and SNP shadow council leader Jonathan McColl were contacted for comment but did not respond at time of publication.

Council leader Martin Rooney said the SNP clearly “lied” when they said they would protect local services in the run-up to May's Scottish Parliament election.
“When Labour warned about these cuts before the election, the SNP accused us of scaremongering," he said. 

"SNP ministers made high-profile visits to West Dunbartonshire during the election campaign and told everyone they would protect our local services and the Vision for the Vale. They clearly lied.

“Now the health board has confirmed its plans to remove vital local services from the Vale and the silence from the SNP is deafening.”