Fury as national NHS boss says maternity units such as Barnstaple should close

There have been furious calls for assurances North Devon’s maternity unit will reopen and stay open after a national NHS chief said smaller units in England should be permanently closed and services centralised.

Matthew Hopkins, director of acute care for the NHS Alliance, which represents NHS trusts nationwide, has recommended permanently closing 20 units that are difficult to staff and have fewer than 2,000 births a year – which would include Barnstaple.

Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust has repeatedly said it remained committed to reopening North Devon’s Ladywell Unit as soon as enough senior doctors were in place, following the unit’s temporary closure on August 11. The trust is set to give a further update on October 26.

Since then, some 200 mothers have had to travel to Exeter hospital – a journey of up to two hours awaits – to give birth.

As reported by national press today (Monday, October 19), Mr Hopkins told the Guardian the current way maternity services are laid out is “not fit for purpose” and he called on politicians to “grasp the nettle” and push for changes.

He said as many as 20 of England’s maternity units that are led by consultant obstetricians will need to shut or change their role.

He is quoted as saying: “We are calling for a thorough appraisal of maternity services and where they need to be located because the current configuration is not fit for purpose.

“Difficult decisions lie ahead, consolidating maternity services to support safer, more sustainable care.”

The comments have been met with furious reaction from Devon County Council leaders, who have demanded Health Secretary Yvette Cooper publicly declare North Devon’s maternity unit will be reopened and kept open.

Councillor Jess Bailey, chair of the council’s health scrutiny committee, said: “I am appalled that closing smaller units including Barnstaple is now on the agenda being put forward by NHS bosses.

“At our special meeting in North Devon last month, we heard first hand the terrible impact on women having to travel substantial distances due to the suspension of maternity services in Barnstaple since August.

“Closing units entirely is not the answer to staffing difficulties; proper funding is the solution. Women have the right to give birth safely and close to where they live – whether that’s in Devon or anywhere else.

“I am also totally unimpressed by the silence from the health secretary to our three letters requesting she steps in immediately to reopen the unit.

“Not only does Yvette Cooper need to reopen the unit within days, she needs to assure thousands of women across North Devon it will stay open and be staffed properly for years to come.”

County council leader Julian Brazil said the situation was “down to bean counters setting health policy rather than responding to the needs of communities.”

He added: “A huge part of the reason why the NHS trusts in North Devon and Exeter amalgamated was supposedly to solve problems like this by sharing staff. Consultants and doctors should be driving to Barnstaple not mother-to-be and their loved ones travelling up to two hours through this winter on some of our county’s most dangerous roads.

“It’s frankly lazy to say we just need to centralise and totally fails rural communities. The Prime Minister has talked of serving every postcode in the UK. He needs to make good on his words.”

A major national report into the future of maternity services in the UK is set to be published in December.