Shropshire hospital boss cancels meeting for baby unit talks
The chief executive of the trust which controls Shropshire's two main hospitals cancelled a meeting in London to meet midwives following the suspension of more maternity services.
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust has, for a number of weeks, been affected by short-term and long-term sickness, which has led to the further temporary suspension of some services.
On Friday, Simon Wright, chief executive at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), cancelled a meeting in London to go to Princess Royal Hospital in Telford to visit midwives and obstetricians.
He said: "The demands facing our colleagues in our maternity service have been well documented.
“It is important that we offer them all the support they need to allow them to continue to provide safe and effective care for women using our services.
“I visited the teams today to speak to them about what support we could offer and what support they feel they need and I will speaking to my fellow directors to discuss these ideas further.”
Currently services for women booked to give birth at Oswestry and Ludlow Midwife-Led Units (MLUs) are suspended until 8am on July 11. Day services for expectant mums will continue as normal.
Services for women booked to give birth at Bridgnorth MLU are suspended until 8am on June 27. Again, day services for expectant mums will continue as normal.
Women booked to give birth at any of these affected MLUs who go into labour during the temporary suspension of services will be offered a birth at Shrewsbury or Wrekin MLU or the Consultant Led Unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
The suspension of services is due to on-going staff sickness across the maternity service.
Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow and also a minister at the Department of Health, says he wants to see more midwives recruited in the county.
He said: "It will take time and that's why they're working with the CCG to come up with a plan for the coming weeks so that there is not this constant stop-start service, which is very unsettling."
Anthea Gregory-Page, deputy head of midwifery at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), said: “We’re really sorry that services continue to be disrupted by on-going staff sickness. This is something beyond our control, which we are managing.
“To ensure the safety of our mums, it is important that we manage the service as a whole and staff our units based on demand. We need to ensure we have enough staff to care for women at the locations where they are most needed.
“I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. If any woman has any concerns at any time during their pregnancy, we would encourage them to speak to their midwife.”
