Two of Shropshire's midwife-led units reopen after being shut due to staff sickness

Oswestry and Ludlow MLUs closed from 8pm until 8am on Saturday, and Oswestry also closed from 8pm on Sunday until 8am yesterday.

Women booked to give birth at the affected MLUs who were due to go into labour during the temporary suspension of services were offered a birth at another MLU or the consultant-led unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Meanwhile, services at Shrewsbury's MLU were set to relocate to Ward 20 of the Copthorne building by the end of the month after heavy snow caused damage to its roof in December.

Birthing and inpatient services were suspended on December 11 after the damage was found and since the repair work began further issues have been discovered, and to allow the roof to be fully repaired all services were set to be moved.

It was hoped that the move would take place before the end of January.

Initially it was hoped that all services would resume at Shrewsbury MLU by the end of January but now it is not yet known how long the repairs will take.

Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust said that Oswestry and Ludlow had reopened as planned and it hoped to have an update on Shrewsbury later in the week.

Services provided on ward 20 will include antenatal clinics, early Pregnancy Assessment Service, scanning, risk assessment, day assessment unit and community midwife services.

Births and post natal care were temporarily suspended at Bridgnorth, Oswestry and Ludlow midwife-led units last year due to staff shortages.

Full in-patient maternity services were re-instated on January 1, including delivery suites and post natal care wards.

However, plans to overhaul maternity services in the county are due to go out to public consultation.

Under the new proposals, women will no longer be able to give birth at three of the county's rural maternity units.

Instead women will be able to give birth at the consultant-led unit at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, at the hospital's neighbouring midwife-led unit at PRH, at a free-standing midwife-led unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital or at home.

The new policy states that a community team will be available 24/7 for midwife led births in the midwife-led units and at home.

A series of maternity hubs would also be created to support women before and after birth.

The proposals have been signed off for public consultation by Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning groups.