The head of the proposed new structure for child cancer services in Scotland insisted yesterday that as many patients as possible would be treated as close to home as possible.

The pledge was made as Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced services at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen would not be downgraded "in any way".

The move will mean two more consultants for Edinburgh's Sick Children's Hospital, where it was feared services could be lost, taking the total there to five, and another consultant is to be join the six in Glasgow.

Dr Hamish Wallace, who will co-ordinate child cancer services across Scotland from his base at the Edinburgh centre, said the plans would mean better care for young sufferers.

He said: "I have been doing this for over 15 years in Edinburgh and parents first and foremost want their children to have the very best chance of being cured of their cancer with the minimum long-term effects.

"What I want to make sure is that they get as much care as locally as possible as can be delivered safely.

"I am not going to commit myself to large patient flows to the central belt, I don't think that is what we are about.

"We are about a network that creates equity of access to that gives the best deal for the children and families.

"On some occasions, that means travelling because there are only going to be two paediatric intensive care units in Scotland, so if they need intensive care they are going to travel to Edinburgh or Glasgow but that happens anyway."

Ms Sturgeon said an extra £32m is to be spent on a national plan for providing specialist services for children.

Her announcement ends months of uncertainty over a review of child cancer services. Options that had been floated included stopping some aspects of diagnosis, treatment, research and training in Aberdeen and Edinburgh to concentrate them in Glasgow.

Another option would have downgraded Aberdeen, which would cease treatment of brain tumours and some drugs trials, while Glasgow and Edinburgh would operate as national centres.

Ms Sturgeon said the announcement marked the start of a period of stability.

"I realise there has been a great deal of uncertainty over children's cancer services in Scotland and I can remove any doubts and allay the concerns of staff, patients and families," she said.

"There is no recommendation to remove children's cancer services from any of the sites where it is provided and none of the four units will be downgraded in any way.

"I am delighted to announce that the service will be delivered as a network across the four sites."

Ms Sturgeon's announcement came when she responded to the report of a national steering group on specialist services for children.

She said that a national services at the four hospitals would promote a "uniformity of care" that did not at present exist, and ensure care was provided as close to home as possible.

"I very much support recommendations that a number of networks be established across the range of specialist children's services, including cystic fibrosis, rheumatology, general surgery and inherited metabolic disease, to deliver the best possible care," she said.

Shirley-Anne Somerville, SNP MSP for Lothians region, said: "The services at the Sick Kids' are vital, not only to the Lothians, but to the wider area, and the retention of these services is fantastic news."

Aberdeen North MSP Brian Adam said: "The decision is a clear victory for all those local campaigners who took their case to Parliament and made sure that the needs of the north east were heard loud and clear."

Mike Rumbles, Lib Dem MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MSP, said: "I am very pleased that the Scottish Government has seen sense and decided not to move these vital health services to the central belt."

Conservative public health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said the decision "signals another welcome departure from the previous administration's obsession with centralising services".