‘This can never happen again’ – MP demands maternity answers

North Devon’s MP is demanding answers over the decisions and “failures” that led to the suspension of births at North Devon District Hospital.

Ian Roome has written to the Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Devon University Healthcare (RDUH) NHS Trust wanting to know what could have been done to prevent the closure three weeks ago due to staffing shortages.

He is also asking if measures have been taken to change employment arrangements so that staff and consultants can provide emergency cover across North Devon if it is under severe pressure.

Last week the trust said it was “cautiously optimistic” that birthing services will be restored by the end of September and a board meeting is set to take place this week to formally sign off a reopening plan.

But Mr Roome says there must now be a full and transparent examination of how the crisis was allowed to happen.

He said: “The trust has made progress on the required recruitment to reopen the service, but this crisis should never have happened.

“I’ve written to the Health Secretary three times, asked more than 50 organisations for help and pushed the Home Office to fast-track visas for NHS doctors from other trusts.

“Meanwhile, pregnant women have been left anxious and abandoned, with around 50 births already redirected to Exeter and more still expected in September.

“This is not an acceptable standard of maternity care and it can never be allowed to happen again.

“The merger of Northern Devon and Exeter NHS trusts was supposed to build resilience. But where was that resilience when North Devon needed it most?

“Lessons need to be learned from this whole ordeal and North Devon families need to be sure this will never happen again.”