PLANS to close a children’s ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley have moved a step further.
NHS Greater Glasgow Clyde is to push ahead with a public consultation on proposals to shut the paediatric inpatient ward and transfer services to the Royal Hospital for Children.
However, the Scottish Government will have the final say on whether ward 15 closes because it has been designated a major service change.
The board says there is a strong clinical argument for relocating services to the new, children’s hospital, where children will have access to improved facilities and specialist staff.
However opponents of the plans have voiced concerns about transport, ambulance times, capacity at the new children’s hospital and parking and the loss of a local service, which is predominantly used by children from the Paisley area.
Parents have launched the KNOW campaign - Kids Need Our Ward - which has cross party political support and have now attracted the high-profile support of Hollywood star Gerard Butler.
The Paisley-born actor said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the plans to close the ward which he said would deliver a huge blow for the town. 
Catriona Renfrew, Director of Planning, acknowledged that the views of parents had been mixed but added: “In our experience it’s not people who actually use the services who oppose service changes.”
The hospital will continue to treat children in the accident and emergency department and some outpatients clinics will also be maintained.
The consultation will look at parking, travel times by car to both hospitals in rush hour and by public transport and will run from November to February.
The change is part of a package of measures designed to save the health board around £70million.
Elsewhere, Glasgow’s Lightburn Hospital is under threat of closure, with services for the elderly planned for relocation to the Royal Infirmary and Stobhill, while the Centre for Integrative Care (CIC) based at Gartnavel is also facing the loss of seven inpatient beds.