Maternity wards in England close 382 times in 2016

Data received from a Freedom of Information request has shown that 42 of 96 trusts in England temporarily closed their maternity units on 382 occasions last year.

The most frequent reasons for the closures were that there were too few staff and not enough beds.

The Royal College of Midwives have said that it was sometimes appropriate to close a unit, for example when the safety of mothers and babies that had already been admitted might be compromised.

Within West Yorkshire, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust closed their maternity unit five times to “maintain safety and staffing levels” and the unit at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust closed 10 times due to staffing levels, high activity and capacity.

The RCM’s Sean O’Sullivan, said “If units are regularly and persistently having to close their doors, it suggests there is an underlying problem around capacity and staffing levels that needs immediate attention.”

Elizabeth Duff, senior policy advisor at the National Childbirth Trust, said “New maternity policy in England stresses the need for locally based services which must have enough midwives so that women are not turned away in labour.”

Chadwick Lawrence’s team of medical negligence lawyers have years of experience in high value and complex medical negligence compensation claims and have an excellent record. The team is led by Tony May, a specialist cerebral palsy and birth injury solicitor, who has over 20 years experience in handling cases in which babies have been brain damaged or sustained other injuries as a result of medical negligence.  He and his team continue to represent many cerebral palsy children and young adults in medical negligence claims.  Tony also acts as the Court of Protection Deputy for many of the cerebral palsy and brain damaged clients that he has represented, so we can continue to support you after your case is settled.  Tony can be contacted by email on tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk.  Alternatively, please call and speak to any of Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist medical negligence Legal Aid and no win-no fee solicitors for free legal advice on the freephone number below.

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For further information, please see our cerebral palsy and birth injury website:

http://www.cerebralpalsyclaimssolicitors.co.uk