North Devon birthing services will not reopen this month as staffing threshold not met, Trust confirms
The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that birthing services at North Devon District Hospital will not reopen on Tuesday, September 29, due to ongoing staffing concerns, with the Trust saying it remains committed to reopening the service when it can be confident it is safe and sustainable.
Hopes of North Devon’s maternity unit reopening at the end of this month have been dashed after health bosses were unable to recruit enough staff in time.
The health trust has insisted it remains “fully committed” to resuming births at the Ladywell Unit at North Devon District Hospital but said it would not be possible before the September 29 date as originally hoped.
In a statement this afternoon (Monday, September 14) the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “Despite extensive efforts on a national recruitment campaign, an assessment of staffing levels and rota coverage today confirmed we have been unable to meet the agreed staffing threshold needed to safely reopen services later this month.
“We remain fully committed to reopening birthing services at NDDH, but we will only do so when we can be confident the service is safe, sustainable and not at risk of closing again at short notice.”
Births were temporarily suspended at the hospital from August 11 after the trust said it had no choice to too insufficient levels of senior doctors, meaning births, C-sections and inducements could not go ahead safely.
Since then, almost 100 women from North Devon have needed to travel to Exeter hospital to give birth, with local people staging protests and campaigning for the unit to reopen.
It had been hoped September 29 was the date that would happen but the trust board was meeting today to take a formal decision on the reopening.
Dr Vanessa Purday, trust chief medical officer, said: “We know this will be deeply disappointing news for women, birthing people, families, our local communities and staff, who were hoping to see birthing services return at the end of this month.
“We also recognise the ongoing uncertainty and anxiety the temporary suspension has caused and we are sorry that we are not yet in a position to reopen the service.
“While we have made progress on recruiting to both our consultant and registrar rotas, we still have further work to do to meet our thresholds and to complete the comprehensive on-boarding and induction programme all new staff who join our teams must undertake.”
She went on: “The September 29 date was always conditional on final staffing and safety assurance. We continue to balance the patient safety risks of reopening against those associated with the temporary suspension.
“Given the fragility of workforce availability, it remains safer to maintain the temporary suspension because this means women and birthing people have access to senior medics should they need it.
“This is not a decision to permanently close birthing services at NDDH. We remain fully committed to reopening the service and will continue to be open and transparent about our progress, the challenges we face and the steps we're taking to address them.
“We share the determination of colleagues and our communities to achieve this as soon as we possibly can.”
North Devon MP Ian Roome said the news was “a further blow to our community” and added: “We're just one doctor away from getting our maternity unit back and the trust needs to get its act together.
“Recruitment progress is still being made and it looks hopeful for a mid-October opening, but extending this suspension past September 29 is a further blow to our community.
“I will continue to do every last thing I can to help reopen North Devon's maternity unit permanently without as soon as possible.”
The trust said people should continue to follow their current personalised birth plans and contact maternity triage on 01392 406616 as soon as they think they may be in labour or if they have any urgent concerns.
A dedicated helpline for those who are pregnant and who have questions about the suspension is available on 01271 335773 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
A further trust statement added: “Every opportunity to recruit both temporary and permanent staff is being pursued. We have formally requested support from the wider NHS and are also exploring international recruitment.
“At the same time, the trust is working with partners on the wider factors, such as housing, transport, infrastructure and delayed capital investment in healthcare facilities that are impacting the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in northern Devon.”
Regular updates, a patient information pack and answers to frequently asked questions are available on the Royal Devon's North Devon birth services temporary changes webpage.