PREGNANT women are set to benefit from a £350,000 improvement to maternity services at Queen Margaret Hospital. 

But there's still no word on whether they'll be able to give birth in Dunfermline at the long-promised midwife-led unit. 

Antenatal services are currently housed in huts in the hospital grounds and £350,000 for 'maternity services' at QMH is set aside in NHS Fife's capital plan for 2017-18. 

At the annual review, the director of clinical delivery, Andrea Wilson, said: "We are currently redeveloping part of the hospital to move the antenatal service, as you know it's in portacabins in the grounds of the hospital just now. 

"We're redeveloping it in such as way as to be more flexible."

NHS Fife said the relocation would see maternity and paediatric services move to a "modern purpose-built area" in the hospital.

The midwife-led maternity unit, estimated to cost £1.6 million and promised as part of the Right for Fife programme in 2002, was also raised at the meeting. 

Medical director Dr Frances Elliot said there was "no exact timescale" for the unit and that when they had firm plans they would communicate them to the public. 

The aim of the unit is to give pregnant women – if they pass an initial screening – the option of giving birth in Dunfermline but, amidst cost and safety concerns, the project has been sidelined repeatedly.

John Winton, of Local Health Concern, has always had doubts about the proposed four-bed unit which would not have any consultants or be equipped to deal with complicated births.

He highlighted figures from a report that suggest up to 20 per cent of women having their baby here would end up, before, during or after the birth, having to be rushed to the Vic in an ambulance due to complications.

After the annual review, he said: "The capital costs for the midwife-led maternity unit are not particularly high but the running costs are. 

"To me, that report from 2007-08 was pretty damning. If there was any chance of a problem, why would you take the risk? 

"It also said the cost of giving birth here would be 10 times greater than the Vic. 

Mr Winton added: "The thing is, the national report on maternity services says these stand-alone units are safe and boards should encourage it, so we're trying to find out what's happening. 

"We didn't find out much today." 

There have been various false dawns for the project, with estimated start dates passing without anything happening, and Mr Winton previously told the Press he was annoyed with the "unwillingness of NHS Fife to come out and be open about this".

He had said: “I’ve been trying to get them to start a debate about the merits of this idea for years, before I was even on the board, and they’ve always drawn back.

“If they have reservations, don’t believe it’s a good idea or proper use of resources, come out and say so.”

Professor Scott McLean, chief operating officer, acute services, said: “The development of services at Queen Margaret continues to progress.

"Work is currently under way redeveloping an area of the main hospital which will provide a flexible space for maternity services and an improved environment for patients.

“This will include enhancing the provision of antenatal and postnatal services on site, so that services such as day care and scanning can be provided locally.

“We are also currently considering the recommendations made by the national strategic review of maternity and neonatal services and will take these findings into account when considering wider service provision.”