Shrewsbury maternity beds to be suspended for up to six months
Shrewsbury's midwife-led unit is to close for up to six months for building works.
Health bosses say part of the Copthorne Building at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where the MLU is housed, is to undergo the works to rectify a number of historic issues uncovered during a recent £500,000 refurbishment.
Inpatient services will be suspended while outpatient services will be relocated within the hospital when the work starts on June 10.
The suspension will mean that the maternity unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford will be the only place in Shropshire where women can give birth, apart from at home. The Telford unit is already the only place in the county with consultant led beds.
In the first five months of 2019, there have been 29 births at Shrewsbury MLU.
Maternity campaigners say mums-to-be are being given no choice on where they can have their babies.
Fire Regulations
Dave Thomas, Acting Associate Director of Estates at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust which runs the RSH, said: “When we carried out the recent refurbishment of the building, it uncovered a number of historic issues.
"These are due to the age of the building and include fire regulation works, which need to be addressed as soon as possible as they currently do not meet today’s standards.
“Unfortunately, the work being undertaken may be noisy and disruptive, and at times it may compromise the privacy of some of our patients, so we have made the decision to temporarily close this area of our hospital.
“We are working closely with Shropshire Council Local Authority Building Control to ensure that all works are done in accordance with regulations.”
He said all women booked to give birth at Shrewsbury MLU during the temporary suspension of services will be offered a birth at Wrekin MLU or the consultant-led unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. Home births are not affected.
Mr Thomas said: "Women due to give birth in the next month who will be affected by the suspension of services are being contacted and will receive a follow-up letter. Other women potentially affected by the suspension will also receive a letter soon."
'Decision not made lightly'
Anthea Gregory-Page, deputy head of midwifery at the health trust, said: “It is important that we maintain the care and dignity of our mums and babies at all times.
"This is not a decision that has been made lightly but they are our absolute priority. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.”
"As work progresses, we will also need to relocate outpatient services. We are currently in the process of identifying alternative accommodation at RSH for these services to minimise the disruption to our mums."
Liz Grayston who had been at the forefront of campaigning for the midwife-led maternity service in the Oswestry area - suspended now for more than a year, said it was the latest erosion on services for mums-to-be.
"Women who should be able to give birth in a midwife-led unit close to their home are now facing a long trek to Telford from the Oswestry area.
"It is a farce that these 'temporary' suspensions are carrying on and on. It is a woman's right to chose where she gives birth but in Shropshire there is now no choice."
