Work on Shrewsbury maternity unit could take up to six months

Birthing and other inpatient services were suspended in December after heavy snowfall caused damage to the roof.

Women are again able to give birth at the unit after maternity services were moved to a temporary home in ward 20 – another part of the Copthorne Building.

Health bosses say the services will remain in their temporary home until all repairs are finished and the midwife-led unit will get a revamp at the same time.

Until then, the unit will be unable to offer postnatal beds.

Simon Wright, chief executive of The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust – which runs RSH, said the repair work and work to upgrade the building could now take up to six months.

He said: "I think it could take four to six months to do properly.

"We are going to take the opportunity to upgrade the shower facilities as well and the rooms."

When births were suspended on December 11, the midwife-led unit remained open for outpatient services including day attendees, hearing screening and the registrar.

But since repair work began last month, further issues with damage to the roof have been discovered.

To allow the roof to be fully repaired, on Monday services, including early pregnancy assessment service and antenatal services, were temporarily moved to ward 20.

The three rural maternity units reopened to births on New Year's Day after a suspension due to staffing issues last year.

It followed a recruitment drive but services have been suspended overnight at the units several times since January 1 due to staff sickness.

Mr Wright said there are still only a small number of mothers opting to give birth at the units in Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Oswestry.

He said: "The mums are choosing to go to the consultant-led unit.

"If that goes up we have to make sure the staff follow mum.

"We don't have enough mums at the moment who are wanting to have their babies at the rural midwife-led units.

"If we were having more mums having their babies in the midwife-led units then we would see less closures."

Health chiefs have proposed a shake-up to maternity services in Shropshire and Mr Wright says it is important that people have a say in the public consultation process.

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 RSH 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 were put forward following a review carried out by Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning groups.