
District Councillor Charmaine Morgan , Chair of SOS Grantham Hospital says…
The national news regarding the wide range of experiences of women in labour is cause for huge concern. Not picked up in media headlines is the loss of our maternity units and the ongoing impact this is having on women and babies.
According to a Telegraph report 17 March 2024) , in the last 10 years one in seven maternity units have closed nationally. Thats 27 in all with 4 more threatened, including Grantham and District Hospital Maternity Unit. Rather than giving women more choice we have less.
This not only affects labour, increasing stress, but also affects access to support from family and friends, especially for those without a car and/or low income.
The protection and restoration of maternity units must be the objective of any government serious about the welfare of all mums to be.
A response to my FOI request shows that 2022/2023 over 1000 mums a year in Grantham now, travelled to Lincoln and Boston to give birth. Those travelling to Nottingham to give birth add to these.
Specialists argue travelling in labour puts babies more at risk. As Grantham grows there will be more mums to be forced to travel unless we get our local maternity services back. We are meant to live in a democracy yet the maternity unit was lost despite 7500 local people signing the SOSGH letter to protest in 2013.
There is a national shortage of 2500 midwives. A further shortage of consultants and other specialist staff. It takes years to train.
Far more resource is needed to support training and retention of our midwives and paediatricians. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has recently announced £35m to support maternity services. It is too little and too late. Now we have a vicious circle with the midwives and paediatricians who remain under huge pressure, putting mums and babies at risk, from potentially life changing and life threatening circumstances, and, increased staff losses.
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