Midwifery Unit at Southport is to close.
Thursday, 11 August 2005
The Midwifery Unit at Southport is to close. This latest outrage comes after reports that the NHS is 6.4 million in the red. This will effectively place our mothers and babies in even greater risk. Furthermore, such an appalling health closure appears to fly in the face of the Shields Report; see recommendation 20, as below:
Extract from The Shields Report :
The NHS were quick to remove our children's A&E and justify such an highly unpopular and dangerous action with the Shields Report. Now they appear to be working against recommendations in the same report.
Furthermore, is this the final death knell for the term 'Sandgrounder' as Southport babies will now have to be delivered outside their own town ?
Where does this fiasco leave Southport and Formby prospective mothers and their babies?
Sandra Mathieson, regional officer for the Royal College of Midwifery, said:
"We are totally in favour of midwifery-led care and the Southport unit is excellent. It is sad news for women in this area because they are losing a great facility."
Liverpool Echo - 11th August 05
This story has also been covered in the Daily Post
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"Ormskirk is a long way from Southport and it can sometimes take around 45 minutes to get there in heavy traffic. Women who go into labour don't qualify for an ambulance, so they would have to make their own way there, either by getting a lift or by taxi or bus, and that will be extremely dangerous. I am convinced a child is going to die because of these moves. Now that the maternity unit has gone, we could end up losing a mother and child on their way to the hospital."
Angela Weatherby CARES Co-chair speaking to the Daily Post, 12th Aug 05.