Midwives union warns over maternity unit plans in Norfolk

The BBC also understands the health secretary is talking to the chief executive of NHS England regarding what has been happening in Norfolk.

The RCM warned that closing units serving rural and isolated communities could mean women travelling “unacceptable distances” while in labour.

If maternity services were removed, the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG) said that neonatal units and children’s inpatient wards would also close because the services were inter-dependent.

Options include keeping services as they are, or closing consultant-led maternity units at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, or both.

As well as women in Norfolk, the plans could affect women in Lowestoft and north Suffolk who give birth in Gorleston and those in Wisbech and north-east Cambridgeshire who travel to King’s Lynn.

The RCM argued the proposals risked worsening existing inequalities in maternity outcomes and said the answer was investment and more staffing, rather than allowing services to “shrink”.

It also said closures could result in midwives being redeployed further from home.

The Facebook post said: “Women and babies deserve safe, local care, and closing units is not the answer.”

A Department of Health and Social Care (DOHSC) spokesperson said:

“While decisions about individual NHS maternity services are made locally by NHS trusts, any changes to services must be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for women and babies.”

It added that: “We expect that any further development of this work will involve patients and the public and carefully consider issues such as access, travel times and the needs of local communities.”

The department said any future plans would need to take account of National Maternity Standards, external and the upcoming Maternity and Neonatal Action Plan., external