A maternity unit at Dewsbury & District Hospital has been temporarily closed due to 'unsafe staffing levels', plunging its long-term future into major doubt.
Dewsbury MP Mark Eastwood says he has called an "urgent meeting" with health chiefs at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust in a bid to "maintain services" at The Bronte Birth Centre, which opened in 2016. A spokesperson for the trust today (Tues) confirmed the centre is closed to women entering labour, but said the decision will be reviewed on a daily basis.
Yorkshire Live understands some antenatal appointments are still taking place at the hospital. "Vacancy levels or absence" have been cited as reasons for the disruption to services.
Read more: Johnny Vegas' Yorkshire glamping site Fields of Dreams shuts after motorhomes 'leaked' water
As things stand, Kirklees mums-to-be who do not wish to give birth at home will now have to travel to Pinderfields Hospital when entering labour - forcing some to embark on a 45-minute trip.
David Melia, director of nursing and quality at the trust, said: "Our priority is to ensure that we provide the highest level of care in a safe and welcoming environment for women and their families. This means that we assess the safety of provision on a frequent basis, and where we struggle to provide safe staffing levels - due to vacancy levels or absence - it is necessary to temporarily close the centre.
"Unfortunately, this will result in some women not being able to have their baby at the Bronte Birth Centre as they had originally chosen to. In this situation we will always talk through the other options available, which include the birth centre at Pinderfields Hospital, a home birth, or, where appropriate, the obstetric-led unit at Pinderfields Hospital.
"The most important thing for us at the trust is that we are able to continue to offer a safe maternity service with a range of birthing options for all our women and we would welcome a conversation with anyone who wishes to discuss their experience with us."
Speaking to Yorkshire Live , Mark Eastwood MP said he will be meeting with the trust before the end of the week. "It is not a good signal for the people who live in the area," he said. "I have put in an urgent message to the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust requesting an urgent meeting to see how this can be resolved.
"It is important that we maintain the services at Dewsbury. I understand that patient safety has to be considered, but if this is to do with staff shortages then the trust needs to address that as an urgent matter."
Read next:
- Defiant hairdresser Sinead Quinn still hasn't paid £8,436 lockdown fines handed out nine months ago
- Several more cases of monkeypox detected in recent days, officials confirm
