NCT 'deeply concerned' over maternity unit closure

The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) has said it is "deeply concerned" about an NHS trust's decision to suspend birthing services.

The Royal Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust on Tuesday temporarily suspended birthing services at the hospital in Barnstaple due to staffing issues.

Expectant mothers in north Devon said the decision means they face significantly longer travel times to get to hospital, with the nearest maternity services located in Exeter, about 55 miles (89km) away.

In an open letter to health trusts, the NCT said losing choice about where to give birth "can undermine women's confidence, autonomy and sense of control at one of the most significant moments in their lives".

The charity called for "greater transparency" about how the Royal Devon trust came to its decision and what alternatives were considered.

The Royal Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said the "difficult decision" was necessary on safety grounds due to insufficient consultant and registrar cover.

It said it believed "concentrating births in locations where safe medical cover can be guaranteed is the safest option".

Bosses at the Royal Devon trust said they concluded the suspension was needed after carefully reviewing staffing levels against clinical safety requirements.

They said they were working to reopen the service as soon as possible.

NCT chief executive Angela McConville said in the letter: "We are deeply concerned about the suspension of birth services in north Devon and what it means for local women and their families.

"Many will now have to travel further from home for labour and birth, and some will no longer be able to access their planned place of birth, including those who had hoped to give birth at home."

McConville said having a choice about where to give birth was a "fundamental part" of personalised maternity care and families appeared to have had "limited opportunity to contribute to discussions" before a decision was was made.

She asked the trust to "be open" about the steps being taken to restore local birth services.

"In a large rural and coastal area like north Devon, longer journeys can bring significant practical, emotional, and financial pressures," she said.

"People on lower incomes, parents with a disability, younger parents, those living in more remote areas and parents without reliable transport will find the impact particularly difficult."

The trust had said it had explored and exhausted every option including securing additional locum cover and mutual aid support from partner organisations.

However, it said after carefully reviewing staffing levels against clinical safety requirements, it concluded a temporary suspension was needed.

The trust added the temporary suspension affected birthing services, and face to face triage only and other services including community midwifery, scans, birth planning, ultrasound clinics and antenatal outpatient clinics would remain open for women and birthing people in Northern Devon.

It added it had already begun a dedicated reopening programme, focused on recruitment, workforce planning and service resilience to enable a safe return of births to North Devon.

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