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By Helen Grant MP - 14th September 2010
The 250,000 people who are served by Maidstone Hospital in the county town of Kent are facing the loss of their consultant led maternity unit. They will be left with only a six bed midwife-run birthing unit, which in turn means every year 2000 mothers will be put at greater risk with potentially lethal consequences.
The overriding concern is that mums with emergency needs and complications will have to travel along dangerous rural roads for perhaps an hour or more to reach the nearest fully fledged facility in Pembury.
The campaign to save consultant led maternity services at Maidstone Hospital has brought together the whole community. It is opposed by thousands of local residents, Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council. The campaign has also been very strongly supported by local GPs and GP Commissioners. To be specific the Maidstone branch of the British Medical Association recently conducted a survey which indicated 97 per cent of local GPs were robustly opposed to the reconfiguration plans. Additionally over 100 local GPs have signed a petition letter outlining their 'grave concerns', which will be delivered to the Department of Health later this month.
The original decision to reconfigure local services was taken in 2004 following what many feel was a fundamentally flawed consultation process that was overseen by a now discredited NHS Trust Chief Executive. In July 2010 a new report and local assessment of Maidstone's maternity services was ordered by the Secretary of State for Health. It is currently being prepared by the Strategic Health Authority for submission later this month. Once that has been submitted, a final decision will then be taken as to the fate of Maidstone hospital's Womens' and Childrens' Services (including maternity services) by the health secretary.
During the debate I am going to highlight the many people who are opposed to these plans, especially the local GPs and GP Commissioners. The health secretary has set out criteria which he thinks all reconfigurations must adhere to. They are that proposed reconfigurations focus on improving patient outcomes and are based on sound clinical evidence. He also states that reconfigurations must reflect current and prospective choice for the patients, as well as have the support and backing from GPs and GP Commissioners.
I plan to outline how the proposed reconfigurations at Maidstone Hospital do not conform to those requirements and can therefore not go ahead.
Article Comments
I am appalled that Maidstone Hospital should be cut back in any way, considering the continued population growth in the south east.
In my opinion any cutbacks would be folly.
In 2004 my son was born in Maidstone Hospital and I needed emergency surgery following the birth. This was the consultant's decision and there was no time wasted.
When a birth goes wrong and an emergency caesarian section is needed is the mother expected to travel by ambulance to Pembury? My daughter is due to give birth at any time and I am relieved to think that at the moment there will be more than a mid-wife birthing service on hand.
I was at one of the public meetings to discuss the proposed realignments of services between Maidstone and Pembury, chaired by the then Chief Executive, and noticed how little notice was taken of anything said from the floor, although those offering opinions were mostly well qualified in their field of medicine.
Good luck.
Margaret Bye
26th Sep 2010 at 2:51 pm
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