UNDER-pressure maternity units are being forced to close their doors almost three times a week - because they cannot cope with the numbers of expectant mothers.

Health bosses say turning pregnant women away is a `last resort', but the M.E.N. has learned there were 150 closures in Greater Manchester last year.

This was due to severe staff shortages and because all their beds were full. Staff also had to divert pregnant women to other hospitals because they were trying to cope with complex births, including a woman having triplets.

'Disappointed'

Figures show St Mary's hospital, in Manchester city centre, was worst affected, shutting its doors to admissions 54 times for up to 33 hours at a time.

Senior doctors are `disappointed' with the high number of closures, but hope a plan to reorganise maternity units from 13 to eight sites, called Making it Better, will reduce them.

Consultant obstetrician Mike Maresh told of their disappointment and said they were `upset' that mums are not delivering where they planned.

He said: "Mums should have their baby at their planned hospital, and the Making it Better changes will help make sure this happens.

"We are confident that having fewer, bigger, maternity units will resolve the problem of unplanned closures by concentrating staff and expertise.

'Unacceptable'

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) branded the closure figures as *unacceptable'.

Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the leading charity, for parents, which offers advice and support to both pregnant women and new mums, others, said: “It is simply appalling to close a maternity unit. I know that hospitals do it for safety reasons, but babies do not wait.

“Hospitals also know in advance when babies are expected and know how many women are due to give birth. To get into this situation is not acceptable.”

Mrs Phipps said midwives were leaving leaving the profession in *droves' because they were unhappy with conditions and NHS changes. to maternity provision. She added: “They like to work in small midwife-led units, not ever-bigger and bigger units.”

Last resort

Sarah Davies, a midwifery lecturer at Salford University, said: “The gold standard is one midwife to one woman – and this is not happening.”

Figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws show that Wythenshawe Hospital had the next-highest number of closures with 28.

Other hospital closures in the year were Tameside General (5), Royal Oldham (19), Rochdale Infirmary (6), Fairfield in Bury (26), Salford Royal (4), Royal Bolton (2) and Stockport (4). There was only one at both the North Manchester General and Trafford General hospitals and none at the Wigan's Royal Albert Edward Infirmary.

A St Mary's spokesman said they were spending £900,000 on extra delivery rooms and staff. And Pennine Acute Trust, which runs hospitals in Rochdale, north Manchester, Bury and Oldham, said closing units was due to 'high levels of clinical activity at a particular time' and *diverts' were a last resort.


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