As many as 20 of England's 155 consultant-led maternity units may have to close or change their role so that mothers and babies receive safe care, according to Matthew Hopkins, director for acute care at the NHS Alliance.
Speaking to the Guardian, Hopkins said moving births into fewer, larger hospitals was unavoidable because of a shortage of obstetricians and a sharp rise in caesarean sections, which need more staff and operating theatres. Smaller units delivering 1,500 to 2,000 babies a year, many of them in rural and coastal areas, were becoming hard to sustain, he said, and he urged ministers and MPs to back unpopular changes.
Obstetricians and midwives objected, saying families depend on maternity care close to home. A government maternity taskforce is due to report before Christmas.
Source: The Guardian
