A NEW children's hospital on the site of the Southern General will be a worthy successor to Yorkhill Sick Kids, health bosses pledged today.

Today, Glasgow City Council was expected to approve a planning application for a superhospital at the Southern General which promises the replacement for Yorkhill Sick Kids will have its own special identity, just as it enjoys at its current site in the West End.

The old Greater Glasgow Health Board had planned to split maternity and children's services at Yorkhill in a move that would have separated maternity and vital surgical services for newborns.

Today's application states: "Architecturally, the separate identities should be expressed with each hospital having their own public entrances and distinct public faces.

"Internally, the two hospitals will respond to the different requirements of children and adults arranged internally around their own public focal points."

The plans promise to deliver a "gold standard" service offering triple co-location of maternity, child and adult hospital services in one unit.

Critically ill new-born babies could be rushed from maternity to an operating suite at the new Yorkhill through a first-floor passageway, as they are now between the Queen Mother's and Sick Kids hospitals.

Queen Mum's midwife Sue Forsyth, who represents staff on the new hospital working group, said: "The health board has reacted positively to all of the staff's recommendations."

Initial plans to split the Yorkhill hospitals were overturned in 2004 after an Evening Times campaign backed by staff, parents and the public.

After a record-breaking petition of 156,000 signatures was given to Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm, he promised £100million towards a state-of-the-art children's hospital to be integrated seamlessly with maternity and adult services.

The new superhospital will have more than twice as many staff, approximately 10,100, against 4230 now.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "These plans will see a new adult hospital, children's hospital and a significantly upgraded maternity on the Southern site."