MATERNITY services for the whole of Ayrshire are to continue at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine for the foreseeable future.
The announcement follows speculation that a Government report into maternal deaths which recommends that births should take place close to high dependency or intensive care may spell the end of the ''stand alone'' maternity unit.
While a review of maternity services is being carried out by Ayrshire and Arran Health Board, it is thought unlikely that there will be a major change over the next few years.
Mr David Fraser, chief executive of the North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust, said: ''The hospital has consistently return- ed a level of satisfaction with the standards of care which is 15 to 20% higher than any comparable national survey.
''There are no plans to change the way maternity services are offered by this trust in the near future although obviously if we look five to 10 years down the line there may be changes.''
The Government study recommends that high dependency or intensive care facilities should be ''conveniently situated and readily available''.
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