Shrewsbury and Telford hospital plan will risk lives - midwife

Babies and mothers from Mid Wales could die in ambulances on the way to Telford's Princess Royal Hospital if a planned shake-up by NHS bosses goes ahead, a senior midwife has claimed.

More than 200 people packed into a public meeting in Welshpool last night as part of the consultation by the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust over proposed changes which would see children's and women's services moved to Telford.

Claims by trust bosses that the maternity unit in Shrewsbury is "operationally unsound" were met by calls from the public to rebuild the unit or move it into the main hospital building.

The meeting at the Royal Oak Hotel heard from Helen Roberts, head of midwifery at the Welshpool maternity unit, who said she had grave fears about the longer journey Mid Wales mums would be forced to make if services were transferred to Telford.

She said: "We have a very high home birth rate here and we hope to keep it that way.

"An ambulance transfer from Welshpool to Shrewsbury takes about 20 to 25 minutes which, when it is an emergency for mum and baby, is a journey none of us like to take.

"If we face another 20 minutes down the road I could have a dead baby or, in the case of a bleed, a dead mum and a dead baby on the way to Telford."

Politicians from all parties joined forces the meeting to call for a better deal for hospital patients from Mid Wales.

There was also an emotional plea for children's services to remain in Shrewsbury from Welshpool mum, Jenny Robinson Harding, whose daughter died of a cot death in 2007.

"I lost my child and I can tell you the journey to Shrewsbury is very long when your child is dead.

"Can you live with yourself when a child dies on the M54," she said.

But Cathy Smith, head of midwifery for the trust, said while extra miles could increase risk, there were mothers in Mid Wales facing longer journeys already.

Trust chief executive Adam Cairns said the fear was the trust would lose many of its specialist services and patients would have to travel even further.

But he said it was now hoped to have a 24-hour children's assessment unit at Shrewsbury.

By Sue Austin