06.09.12
Berwick maternity care consultation launched
A trust is conducting research to improve maternity services, after they were suspended on safety grounds.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS FT and NHS North of Tyne have commissioned an independent review into the public’s opinions on new maternity services.
Services at the trust were temporarily suspended from August 1, due to serious “safety concerns as a result of some recent safety incidents”.
Research will take place in public locations, as well as a short online survey and feedback will be shared publicly with the results of the overall review at the end of October.
Dr Mike Guy, medical director at NHS North of Tyne told the Berwick Advertiser: “As commissioners of health services we support Northumbria Healthcare’s decision to suspend deliveries and post natal inpatient care at Berwick pending a review. We must make sure that services available for the people we serve are safe and of the highest quality and when concerns are raised they cannot be ignored.
“We recognise that lots of women wish to have their babies in a unit as close to home as possible, but we also know that for many this is not possible due to clinical reasons and national standards to which the NHS must adhere.
“In Berwick and the surrounding area many women are choosing to have their babies at Wansbeck, Newcastle or Borders and we need to understand what was important to them when they made these decisions. We also want to hear from local women about what other care is important to them at the different stages of pregnancy, including after the baby is born.”
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