 News
20th March 2008
Maternity
units turning away women in labourMaternity units are turning away
women in labour because they have no room, figures show. More than four
in ten NHS hospitals refused to accept expectant mothers at least once last year.
The figures, from 103 of the 147 NHS trusts with maternity services, were
obtained by the Conservatives under the Freedom of Information Act. They
show that almost one in ten trusts closed more than ten times last year.
the University of Leicester Hospitals Trust - one of the biggest NHS providers
- closed 28 times. In all, 43 trusts said they had closed their maternity
unit, or had been forced to send women to another hospital, at least once in 2007
because they were full. The Tories said it contacted all 147 trusts providing
maternity services in England. But several with maternity units that have
recently closed or downgraded, or are facing such changes, did not respond. Hundreds
of thousands protested last year about local shake-ups that could result in downgrading
or closure of midwife-led and consultant-led maternity units. Mary Newburn,
head of policy at the National Childbirth Trust, said Labour's backing for women's
choice was not deliverable under these circumstances. She added: "If women
are to have their choice of place of birth guaranteed by 2009, as promised by
the Government, it is vital there is sufficient capacity." The Royal College
of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said it was concerned about the implications
of closures. Richard Warren, RCOG honorary secretary, said: "Safety and
quality of care are paramount and, although the UK is a safe place to give birth,
growing pressures require long-term investment. "Our current calculation
is that 400 extra consultants are immediately required across England and Wales."
Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said: "The Government's plans to close
maternity units when services are already overstretched fly in the face of common
sense. "Labour are fixated with cutting smaller, local maternity services
and concentrating them in big units. But women don't want to have to travel miles
to give birth. "And they certainly don't want to have to travel even further
because they're turned away by the hospital of their choice." Liberal Democrat
spokesman Norman Lamb said: "There is a huge gap between Government promises and
the reality in maternity units across the country. "Promises of one-to-one
care for all women are a world away from expectant mothers being turned away from
hospitals because they are running over capacity. "The Government needs
to stop burying its head in the sand and launch a national review of capacity
in maternity services." Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the
Royal College of Midwives, said: "Women should have a choice of how and where
they give birth. "This is guaranteed in the Government's plans for maternity
services and we want to make sure that this choice is expanded, not reduced.
"If a unit closed because of staff shortages, then their choice is eroded and
their experience of birth suffers." A spokesman for the Department of Health
said: "It is difficult to predict precisely when a mother will go into labour
and sometimes, at times of peak demand, maternity units do temporarily divert
women to nearby facilities. "When this does happen it is often only for
a few hours and to ensure mother and baby can receive the best care possible."
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