To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the projected number of hospital beds available for use on site is at the Mid-Ulster Hospital, Magherafelt in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08, (c) 2008-09 and (d) 2009-10. (110819)

The projected number of hospital beds available for use at Mid-Ulster Hospital, Magherafelt, from 1 January 2007 to 2009-10 is as follows:

Under the “Developing Better Services” framework, acute hospital services in the Northern Board area will be focused on Antrim Area and Causeway Hospitals. Mid-Ulster Hospital will become a local hospital providing a range of day surgery, day procedures, diagnostics and out-patient services, with in-patient care of the elderly beds for assessment and rehabilitation.

There are no immediate plans to revise bed capacity at the Mid-Ulster Hospital, until the implementation of “Developing Better Services”. Future consideration however would have to address any issues of quality, safety, sustainability or best practice that could emerge during the planning period.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the conclusions were of consideration given by United Hospitals Trust to provision of a midwife-led maternity unit at Mid-Ulster Hospital. (110874)

The trust concluded that any decision on whether to establish a midwife-led maternity unit at the Mid-Ulster Hospital would require careful consideration and should take account of:

(a) The demand from mothers for such a unit.

(b) The support from staff and other professional groups within the trust.

(c) Value for money considerations.

(d) The wider context of the network of maternity services across the region.

There are no immediate plans to develop such a unit in the Mid-Ulster area.