Health secretary pressed on paused maternity unit

An MP asked the health secretary to ensure a hospital's partially closed maternity unit was fully rebuilt.

Work had started on a planned two-storey extension at Kettering General Hospital earlier this year but was paused.

It would connect to the existing unit, Rockingham Wing, which was partially closed three years ago after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in its roof.

Kettering Labour MP, Rosie Wrighting, told the House of Commons the ward "faces significant challenges such as Raac, overheating during the summer and flooding during the winter".

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said she would meet with Wrighting.

The building plans included a new special care baby unit (SCBU), a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a new bereavement suite.

But earlier this month the hospital said it had "paused this work after updated projected costs presented significant affordability challenges".

The hospital said it was considering two options: either a new-build facility or the extension followed by the phased demolition and rebuilding of the existing Rockingham Wing.

Kettering General Hospital has been contacted for further comment.

Wrighting said: "We urgently need to see the maternity ward rebuilt."

She said money for the proposed bereavement suite had been raised by families affected by baby loss.

The MP asked to meet Cooper to "discuss the specific challenges and make sure my constituents get the maternity services they deserve".

Cooper agreed to meet Wrighting, adding: "I know there is work underway for a new maternity and neonatal facility in Kettering General and that will include a bereavement suite, and we want to work with the hospital and with the community on this."

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire's Interim Director of Midwifery, Sarah Jamieson, said the hospital welcomed "the support we have received from Rosie Wrighting and remain committed to providing high-quality women's, maternity, and neonatal facilities for our communities".

She added the hospital was "reviewing the best long-term option to deliver a permanent high-quality environment for these teams and the patients they care for".

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