Daisy Hill, Newry Maternity Services: Royal College of Obstetrics says crisis is right across UK
A UK-wide medical body says the shortage of obstetricians which is about to close outpatient maternity services in Newry is not a local issue - "but impacting maternity services across the UK".
The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) was speaking to the News Letter as the Southern Health Trust prepares to move all out-patient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry to Craigavon Area Hospital, on a temporary basis.
Local campaigners have been pressing the Southern Health Trust for a prolonged period to recruit more Obstetricians to keep the Newry service open - but the trust, and Minister Robbie Butler, say that despite national and international trawls for more staff, this has not been possible.
Political representatives from south Down report fear among expectant mothers in light of the required two hour journey to access services when they might need them much quicker during their pregnancies.
They also express scepticism that Craigavon can absorb over 1000 extra births per year from mothers in South Down and South Armagh, as it is already working to capacity.
The SOS Daisy Hill campaign group organised a mass rally in Newry on Sunday, attended by thousands of people protesting against the plans.
However on Monday the Southern Trust told the News Letter that while it empathised with the concerns, at present it is still on course to move the services north.
The News Letter asked the RCOG if there was a national or international shortage of Obstetricians - or whether the situation in Daisy Hill was unusual.
A RCOG spokeswoman said it was unable to comment on specific issues at Daisy Hill, but said it has recently spoken out on the national shortage of Obstetricians, "including the shortages we know are impacting maternity services across the UK, including Northern Ireland".
She pointed out that RCOG released a statement only last week addressed to the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to tackle the strategic issues underpinning the challenges maternity services face.
RCOG said the underlying issues include the steep rise in caesarean sections, increasing levels of complexity, and the staff skill-mix required to deliver safe services in England.
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce was formed after an Independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation was set up just over a year ago to carry out a rapid investigation into concerning deaths rates for babies and their mothers in 14 NHS trusts in England.
Speaking to the national issues, Dr Alison Wright, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “We know there are staffing gaps across almost every rota in the country, and multiple investigations have identified growing service demand and workforce shortages as contributors to poor experiences and preventable harm."
And she flagged up closure threats to smaller maternity units, especially in rural and coastal communities.
"There are other solutions to our workforce challenges that are far safer than closing maternity units, and these should be explored."
Only last week NHS bosses in England said the way maternity care is organised is "not fit for purpose" and warned that up to 20 smaller units may have to close.
A spokesperson for the Southern Trust said: “Despite extensive local, regional, national and international recruitment activity, the Trust has been unable to secure sufficient substantive consultant appointments to establish a sustainable workforce position. This reflects wider workforce shortages across Obstetrics and Gynaecology services throughout Northern Ireland and the UK."