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11/07/2014
It is understood that of the 121 respondents that provided information, 62 (51%) had been forced to temporarily close units. Some 12% admitted they had closed their units 10 times or more; and while some closures were just for a few hours, there were other wards that had to close their doors to new patients for more than 48 hours until pressures had eased on resources.
Of the trusts that had to close, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust closed the most with 97 closures across two hospitals; the Queen's Medical Centre (48 times) and Nottingham City Hospital (49 times). This was followed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with 89 closures across its two hospitals – Leeds General Infirmary (60) and St James's University Hospital (29).
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (86), Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (50) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust (24) also had some of the highest number of closures.
Commenting on the findings, Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said it was "just the tip of the iceberg".
She added: "Birth is unpredictable and sometimes units get a rush of births that is unavoidable and cannot be planned for.
"We respect and support decisions made to close maternity units when to not do so will compromise the safety of the women already being cared for on the unit. However, if units are regularly and persistently having to close their doors to women it suggests there is a serious, underlying problem around their capacity and staffing levels that needs urgent attention and action."
Elizabeth Duff, Senior Policy Adviser at the National Childhood Trust (NCT), said: "This failure of maternity services can mean women get passed from pillar to post when having a baby.
"Over-stretched units and staff shortages mean more women and families are experiencing less than high quality care, in spite of midwives' best efforts. It's important that women have reliable access to a midwife they know and trust to help ensure positive outcomes: continuity of care is essential, and is a more cost-effective model of practice."
Elsewhere in the UK, six out of seven health boards in Wales responded to the FoI request and four said they had experienced closures. Scotland and Northern Ireland did not report any closures.
(JP/IT)
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Shortages Cause Maternity Unit Closures
Data obtained by the BBC under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act has revealed that a large number of NHS trusts in England had to close maternity units in 2013. A shortage of staff or beds were the most common reason given for the closures.It is understood that of the 121 respondents that provided information, 62 (51%) had been forced to temporarily close units. Some 12% admitted they had closed their units 10 times or more; and while some closures were just for a few hours, there were other wards that had to close their doors to new patients for more than 48 hours until pressures had eased on resources.
Of the trusts that had to close, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust closed the most with 97 closures across two hospitals; the Queen's Medical Centre (48 times) and Nottingham City Hospital (49 times). This was followed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with 89 closures across its two hospitals – Leeds General Infirmary (60) and St James's University Hospital (29).
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University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (86), Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (50) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust (24) also had some of the highest number of closures.
Commenting on the findings, Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said it was "just the tip of the iceberg".
She added: "Birth is unpredictable and sometimes units get a rush of births that is unavoidable and cannot be planned for.
"We respect and support decisions made to close maternity units when to not do so will compromise the safety of the women already being cared for on the unit. However, if units are regularly and persistently having to close their doors to women it suggests there is a serious, underlying problem around their capacity and staffing levels that needs urgent attention and action."
Elizabeth Duff, Senior Policy Adviser at the National Childhood Trust (NCT), said: "This failure of maternity services can mean women get passed from pillar to post when having a baby.
"Over-stretched units and staff shortages mean more women and families are experiencing less than high quality care, in spite of midwives' best efforts. It's important that women have reliable access to a midwife they know and trust to help ensure positive outcomes: continuity of care is essential, and is a more cost-effective model of practice."
Elsewhere in the UK, six out of seven health boards in Wales responded to the FoI request and four said they had experienced closures. Scotland and Northern Ireland did not report any closures.
(JP/IT)
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