Proposal to close North London maternity ward ‘madness’

Local midwives, nurses and families have stressed their worries about proposals to close one of two north London maternity wards.

The NHS board covering the area has been running a consultation to close a unit at either the Whittington Hospital in Archway or the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, and the Royal College of Midwives has been protesting in the run up to the conclusion of the consultation on Sunday.

The NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board, which covers Camden, Enfield, Barnet, Haringey and Islington, said the number of maternity units it runs needed to be reduced from five to four, although it stressed that the remaining units would be upgraded to provide “very high level” care.

According to the NHS, the needs of the community are changing, as birth rates in the area have plummeted, with Camden having the second-lowest birth rate in the country, while the average house price in the area is over £1m.

The NHS Board said high staff numbers in midwifery and neonatal nursing meant the quality of care could be impacted, including measures like temporarily closing the midwife centre.

Sean O’Sullivan, head of health and social policy at the Royal College of Midwives, said “At a time when maternity services across the UK are more stretched than ever, it’s madness to contemplate closing either of these maternity units.

“Both the Whittington and the Royal Free serve thousands of pregnant women and new mothers every year and are badly needed.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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