Shropshire Star

Telford & Wrekin health boss vents frustration at maternity decision delay

Another health boss has vented his frustration at a delay in moving forward with a planned shake-up of maternity services in Shropshire.

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David Evans, chief officer at Telford & Wrekin CCG

It emerged earlier this week that health bosses have been told that NHS England must now give the go-ahead for a public consultation to begin.

Dr Simon Freeman, accountable officer for Shropshire clinical commissioning group, said the news had been unexpected and it is likely to delay the public consultation process for a small number of months.

Chief officer David Evans spoke on the issue at a recent meeting of Telford & Wrekin clinical commissioning group.

He said: "I'm frustrated this now has to go through NHS England. That leads to a degree of uncertainty for the next few months.

"That then adds to the uncertainty of the opening and closing of units which is unhelpful for mums-to-be."

Health bosses will have to submit a pre-consultation business case for approval.

Under the new proposals, which have been signed off by Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCGs, women will no longer be able to give birth at the rural midwife-led units in Oswestry, Ludlow and Bridgnorth.

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.

Under the plans, a series of maternity ‘hubs’ would also be created to support women before and after birth.

It comes as health campaigners have expressed their dismay at the repeated temporary overnight closures of Shropshire’s rural maternity units.

The three rural midwife-led units reopened to births on New Year’s Day after a suspension due to staffing issues last year.

But there have been a series of temporary overnight closures since then that Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust – which runs the MLUs – has blamed on staff sickness.

On Friday the trust announced the unit in Oswestry would be closed until February 25 after saying expectant mothers were not choosing to use the facility.