Health chiefs silent over birthing unit

NHS Lothian has refused to reveal how many heavily pregnant women have been turned away from the area's main birthing unit - despite disclosing the same information for the previous year.

In 2008, 80 pregnant women were diverted from the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to St John's Hospital, 20 miles away in Livingston, because there was no room.

Despite a rising birth rate in 2009 and no expansion to services, health chiefs claimed they no longer collected that kind of information.

It means the total figure of people redirected under the "traffic lights" scheme is not known.

Last year, unions and politicians criticised the health board for the high number, which worked out as seven a month.

Alan Boyter, director of human resources, said: "The information was not collected in 2009. NHS Lothian do not hold this information."

A new birthing unit at the ERI's Simpsons Centre is planned for the future, while the maternity facilities at St John's will also undergo improvements. Annual births in the region now top 10,000.