OKEHAMPTON’S mayor has said she’s ‘sad but not really surprised’ at news that the birthing unit at Okehampton Hospital is to remain closed for a further three months.
The trust announced on Monday that the unit, which has now been closed for six months, will remain shut until April at the earliest.
It denies that the closure, which began in July last year, is in any way related to an ongoing NHS Acute Services review, which in June recommended permanent closure of the birthing unit.
In a statement issued this week, the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘Good progress has been made to recruit staff into vacancies within the wider maternity service, but ongoing staff sickness and high patient demand in the acute unit in Exeter means we have not yet been able to reach acceptable staffing levels. As a result, the trust is continuing to suspend birth services at Honiton and Okehampton to ensure patient safety and quality is maintained across our maternity service.
‘The extension means that women will not be able to give birth at either site for a further three months. The trust will review the suspension again in April. All antenatal and postnatal clinics, midwifery support and home birth services at Honiton and Okehampton are unaffected and running as normal.’
Head of midwifery Zita Martinez said: ‘The decision to temporarily suspend these services has been taken for operational safety reasons and is not related to the proposals outlined in the Devon-wide Acute Services Review.
‘We will continue to work towards resuming birth and in-patient services at Okehampton Hospital as soon as possible and would once again like to say how sorry we are for the continued suspension of these services.
‘There are currently 8.8 whole time equivalent (WTE) midwives, including one matron in post at Okehampton Birth Centre. Currently midwives from the Okehampton team are being deployed to the unit in Exeter where the majority of our birth activity takes place to ensure patient safety and quality is maintained at all times.
‘The suspension of services will be reviewed again in April, when we will assess whether safe staffing levels have been achieved across the service.’
A decision has yet to be made on whether to close the birthing unit at Okehampton Hospital permanently, as the NHS Acute Services Review is still ongoing.
However, mayor of Okehampton Jan Goffey, who has been a tireless campaigner to save the unit, said she feared that the unit might never re-open. The review is recommending that women give birth at home or at the consultant-led unit at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter.
‘I’m sad but not really surprised,’ she said. ‘We are seeing the retraction of all our services gradually into the main few hospitals, who then can’t cope. Most women can give birth perfectly safely at home with a midwife, with the right preparation and checks that the baby is fine. However, the comfort and security of a midwife-led unit where she’s surrounded by professionals, and possibly mums who’ve had babies before, is such a reassuring experience.
‘Away from the noise and bustle of home, she and her baby can get used to one another in relative peace – those experiences should never be underestimated – and that is what the loss of our birthing unit means. I just hope we can see it back again in the future as the town grows even larger.’
Okehampton Birth Centre remains open for clinics and midwife care and support 8am-8pm, seven days a week. Outside of these hours, the NHS is asking women to contact the RD&E main maternity triage service on 01392 406616.