A SAVE the Rankin campaigner has slammed the current consultation process on maternity services in Inverclyde as a waste of time.

Liz Roders, secretary of the campaign against the closure of the maternity unit, hit out after attending a meeting held in Greenock by the Argyll and Clyde NHS Acute Trust Board on Wednesday.

A panel from the Trust met the public to find out what they want for the future of maternity services in the district.

Ms Roders said: 'In my opinion these meetings are a complete waste of money. I believe they have made their minds up as to what is happening - and it looks as though we are going to lose the consultant-led unit too.

'They were going on about big communities needing consultant-led maternity units, but as Paisley is a much bigger community than Inverclyde it looks likely that we will not get a unit.' According to Ms Roders, panel members tried to reassure those present that mothers would be continually assessed and risk assessments carried out regularly.

She said: 'I asked if any of the mothers on the panel had had an emergency section. If an anaesthetist had not been in the Rankin when my first son Ryan was born, I believe he would have died.' A spokesman for the Acute Trust said: 'We are sorry people feel like this when every effort has gone into widespread and meaningful engagement with the public on this important issue.

'We can only reinforce that no decisions have been taken and none will be taken until the board has meetings to consider the outcome of the consultation and the option appraisal.'