Three Shropshire baby units could close for SIX MONTHS

The proposal to temporarily suspend services has been put forward by health chiefs who say it will ensure Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital’s consultant-led maternity unit can be safely staffed.

Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust’s board will consider the proposal tomorrow, and if approved the midwife-led units (MLUs) in Bridgnorth, Ludlow, and Oswestry, will be closed for between three and six months from July 1.

SATH has said that the move is needed to ensure safe levels of staffing at its consultant led unit at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital (PRH).

The proposal illustrates the pressure facing the trust, which is also the focus of a review from NHS England over how deaths of babies at its hospitals were investigated.

A shortage of staff at the trust has meant the three MLUs have all faced short-term closures in recent months, as staff are required to work at the Telford hospital to safely look after women who attend the consultant-led unit.

SATH has said that if the plan is approved then during the duration of the closure women who have chosen to give birth at the MLUs will be able to access a midwife and will be offered a birth at an alternative MLU location, such as Shrewsbury or Wrekin MLU.

Alternatively they will be able to choose the consultant-led unit at PRH or a home birth if appropriate.

The trust says that midwives will remain available for advice 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

Deirdre Fowler, director of nursing, midwifery and quality at SATH, said: “We are proposing temporarily suspending services at our MLUs in Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Oswestry for between three and six months in a measured and planned way, rather than having to suspend some services temporarily at short notice to ensure we continue to provide a safe overall service.

“We recognise the significant impact that this may have on some of the women we care for about their planned place of birth and we are sorry for this.

"We have taken into account the many comments received regarding short-notice closures and recognise that the women we care for need assurance about their place of birth.

"For this reason, we are proposing the most difficult decision to suspend some services for a defined period of time whilst we work up alternative longer-term sustainable options.

"If the decision is approved tomorrow, I would encourage any woman using our service who has concerns or questions about how this will affect them to discuss their birth options with their midwife.”

The trust says a combination of short and long-term sickness, and "a significant fall in the number of midwives prepared to work overtime or temporary bank shifts to cover shifts at times of sickness" has made it difficult to fully staff its maternity sites.

A spokesman for the trust said: "The board will receive a report explaining that action needs to be taken to make sure we can sustainably provide the right complement of staff to safely look after the women using the service at our consultant-led unit."

Ms Fowler added: "The safety of mothers and babies using our service is our number one priority and this proposal, albeit difficult, is something we have given careful consideration.

“An increasing number of women are choosing to give birth at our consultant-led unit in Telford, rather than at our MLUs. In 2008/2009 MLU births, including home births, accounted for 26 per cent of our activity but in 2016/17 this figure has fallen to 13.1 per cent, with just 3.4 per cent of this activity taking place at Ludlow (0.7 per cent), Oswestry (1.1 per cent) and Bridgnorth (1.6 per cent) MLUs.

“This means we have seen a high level of demand on our consultant-led unit (85 per cent of local women are giving birth here). At the same time we have faced a combination of short-term and long-term sickness, as well as a significant fall in the number of midwives prepared to work overtime or temporary bank shifts to cover shifts at times of sickness. This has meant that at times we have had to temporarily suspend services at our MLUs due to staffing shortages."