- 62 hospital trusts out of 121 temporarily closed maternity units in 2013
- Most common reason for closing a ward was a lack of staff or beds
- Women getting ‘passed from pillar to post when having a baby’ say critics
- Labour say the Government is ignoring warnings over staff shortages
- Royal College of Midwives says 4,500 extra nurses needed in maternity units
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Half of all NHS hospitals have had to temporarily close their maternity units over the past year, shock figures revealed today.
The most common reason for closing down the wards was because of a lack of staff or beds.
Figures obtained under the freedom of information showed 62 hospital trusts out of 121 respondents temporarily closed units in 2013.
Women are being passed from ‘pillar to post’ when having a baby because of the failure of maternity services, the National Childbirth Trust has claimed
Elizabeth Duff, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: ‘This failure of maternity services can mean women get passed from pillar to post when having a baby. This is hugely disruptive to labour.’
But Health minister Dr Dan Poulter insisted the units only closed on ‘limited occasions’.
He said the government had ‘increased choice in maternity care’ and said there were always going to be times when maternity units would fill up.
Dr Poulter said: ‘There will always be very limited occasions when a maternity unit cannot safely accept more women into their care and may need to close temporarily.
‘Any decisions to redirect women are made by clinicians as part of a carefully managed process.’
Dr Poulter said the NHS, which has 162 trusts in England, remains ‘one of the safest places in the world to give birth’.
But some 12 per cent of the NHS’s trusts closed their units at least 10 times in 2013, the figures obtained by the BBC show.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is under pressure from Labour over the growing number of maternity units being closed because of a shortage of beds
Some wards closed their doors to new patients for more than 48 hours until pressures had eased.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust closed its maternity ward 97 times across its two hospitals – the Queen’s Medical Centre 48 times and Nottingham City Hospital on 49 occasions.
This was followed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with 89 closures across its two hospitals – Leeds General Infirmary, 60 times, and St James’s University Hospital, 29 times.
The findings come after a poll last year by the Care Quality Commission showed the maternity system in England was under strain.
A quarter of women reported being left alone during labour and birth at a time that worried them.
There are currently nearly 22,000 midwives in the NHS in England – a rise of more than 1,700 in four years.
But the Royal College of Midwives said there is still a shortage of 4,500 because the birth rate is at its highest since the early 1970s.
RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick said: ‘Birth is unpredictable and sometimes units get a rush of births that is unavoidable and cannot be planned for.
‘However, if units are regularly and persistently having to close their doors to women it suggests there is a serious underlying problem.’
Labour’s Shadow Health Minister Andrew Gwynne added: ‘David Cameron promised three thousand more midwives, but he’s failing to deliver them.
‘Across England, too many maternity units are operating without enough staff – unable to keep up with demand – whilst others are facing closure or downgrading.
‘Experts have warned the Government on the importance of safe staffing levels, but Ministers continue to ignore the advice. Labour is committed to safe staffing levels based on that expert advice.
‘This is yet more proof that you can’t trust the Tories with the NHS.’
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Dene,
London, United Kingdom,
9 minutes ago
My local maternity unit closed temporarily and never opened again, it is now in a derelict state.
Old Rog,
In the shed….still,
25 minutes ago
Too many ‘managers’ attempting to cut operating costs to boost their bonuses…..get rid of the managers, stop setting rewardable targets and get on with treating people…
anon,
London, Ireland,
17 minutes ago
Cass6315,
Grammarworld, United Kingdom,
35 minutes ago
No surprise. We’re delivering the world’s babies.
truckerman,
almeria,
37 minutes ago
But if you needed cosmetic surgery they would reopen them
manonthedole,
benefitsville, United Kingdom,
52 minutes ago
too many filthy interlopers taking liberties…………..
MrsG,
London, United Kingdom,
55 minutes ago
97 times is way too many times! This should never happen unless under very extreme circumstances. Closing a maternity ward is drastic action and if it’s happened just once in recent times, there is clearly a need for more beds and more staff. They closed a maternity ward near me when I had my baby 2 years ago and the next nearest hospital was over-run. Staff were yelling at my surgeon to hurry stitching me up after a traumatic labour and an emergency c-section because another woman was being wheeled in. Still traumatised by it now!!
One Eyed Man,
Littlehampton,
58 minutes ago
and where did the money go to fund patients resources? would a walk round the Hospital Managers car park reveal anything?
henry1964,
London, United Kingdom,
58 minutes ago
It’s not a shortage of beds, it’s too many births (from non British mothers).
The Nit Picker,
Blighty,
1 hour ago
Another reason to research facilities before you have a baby. Never assume that all will be rosey if you intend to start a family. If people keep having babies more and more resource is required. Would you buy a car without checking its background, previous owners or if its a cut n shut? So do the same thing when you want to breed. If resource is low, putting you and your baby at risk isn’t the problem of the NHS. Its a problem with you.
Pete the unbeliever,
Maidenhead,
1 hour ago
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