Fight for our maternity unit, urges Oswestry campaigner
A maternity campaigner has urged mothers to fight for the Oswestry maternity unit when a public consultation begins on the future of services.
Oswestry's Midwife Led Unit has been closed to births for most of the year, with expectant mothers having to go to Shrewsbury and Telford to give birth, or to have a home birth.
Plans were put forward to end births at the rural midwife led units in Oswestry, Ludlow and Bridgnorth and create a number of maternity hubs to support women before and after birth.
The plans had gone quiet while the Future Fit consultations took place and Liz Grayston, a campaigner for Save Oswestry Maternity Unit believes some mothers may have accepted birthing facilities will now be lost in Oswestry.
However, she wants them to get involved with a consultation on the plans that is soon expected to happen, and continue fighting.
She said: "Everything had gone quiet with the plans and I think a few mothers involved have maybe accepted that the Oswestry unit will close.
Locations
"We will still continue to fight but people need to make their voices heard.
"Mothers may think they have already given their views, but a consultation will soon happen and as many people as possible need to get involved.
Potential locations for a series of proposed maternity hubs across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin will be discussed at a briefing on Wednesday at Bradbury Hall in Meole Brace.
At the meeting, Shropshire's CCGs will provide an update on the progress of the MLU review and the proposed new service model.
Parents who recently used the services are being invited along to the briefing on Wednesday, before the plans go out to public consultation.
Mrs Grayston added: "I hope a compromise can be found."
