EXCLUSIVE - Birth service faces temporary closure (From Andover Advertiser)

EXCLUSIVE - Birth service faces temporary closure

by Clare Kennedy and Dick Bellringer

HEALTH bosses are planning to stop birthing services in Andover for up to four months because of staffing problems – but there are fears they could end permanently.

The Andover Birth Centre has already had to close its birthing service at short notice on three separate occasions due to a lack of qualified staff during the past month.

Now bosses at Winchester and Eastleigh NHS Healthcare Trust, responsible for running the centre, are proposing to close the unit’s birthing service for four months – a move opponents believe could be made permanent.

During that time pregnant women who were due to go to the town’s birth centre will be sent to hospitals in Winchester or Basingstoke to have their babies instead.

Health bosses say they have been forced to take the action because three of the unit’s 12 midwives are on maternity or sick leave.

Trust family services manager Caroline Smith told a meeting of Hampshire County Council’s health overview and scrutiny committee the temporary closure plan from December until March was designed to ensure patient safety.

"It is only for patient safety that the trust is proposing a temporary suspension of inpatient services at Andover.”

She said that while delivery and post delivery services would be suspended, midwives would continue to attend home births and antenatal clinics at the centre and GP surgeries.

And Mrs Smith said the plans were not financially motivated.

“No financial savings or measures are attached to this. We are acting purely on the grounds of patient safety.”

She added: “The staff at the birth centre have worked incredibly hard to maintain the birthing service but the trust cannot expect its staff to continue to work extra hours or postpone essential training which is vital for maintaining a safe, high quality service.

"If we do suspend services we will use the time between December and March to comprehensively review our staffing levels and services.

"Our aim is to reopen the services on April 1 with the appropriate staffing levels.”

The meeting was told that the unit’s midwives would be redeployed to Winchester’s Royal County Hospital which would be able to deal with the four babies that are typically born every week at Andover.

Cllr Pat West, the health and overview scrutiny panel’s vice chair, questioned why the trust’s chief executive Martin Wakeley did not mention the staffing crisis during the committee’s last meeting in September where he said work was being undertaken to promote the birth centre.

“There was no inkling there was a problem,” she said.

Mrs Smith replied: “We have been very clear as an organisation that we have had major staffing issues in the maternity service. We have tried to actively manage that.

“It is only a temporary closure.”

Cllr West replied: “Staff are going to say we are going to look for something else.”

Mrs Smith said: “We are trying to develop a more mobile workforce. Our staff have been very happy to come across to Winchester and work there.”

Cllr West said: “I find this totally unacceptable. Why was this not better managed?”

Mrs Smith said: “I understand all the concerns and the impact it will have on patients and staff.”

Cllr Pam Mutton said: "I am very disappointed that this is happening. I can see this permanently closing.

“We are shutting the doors and the women are going to Winchester or Basingstoke. I think this is going to be a very serious problem over the coming months.”

Trust Chief Executive Martin Wakeley and managers of the maternity services are meeting next Monday to review all options before a final decision is made.