A Stone dad-to-be has spoken out over Stafford Hospital’s administrators’ proposal to end the delivery of babies at the hospital.
The consultation into the Trust Special Administrator’s draft report on the future of hospital services in Mid Staffordshire starts today – more details HERE on how to have your say. There’s a public meeting in Stone at St Dominic’s Priory School on Tuesday 13th August at 7pm.
Here’s why the Stone dad-to-be (who’s asked to remain anonymous) feels maternity services should remain at the hospital…
Last month my wife had a bump with a lift door. She wasn’t badly hurt, but it left a red mark on her arm, which pushed onto her abdomen. This wouldn’t usually cause concern, but at the time she was 27 weeks pregnant, and also has a special blood type which means a bump like this could harm our unborn baby.
We were uncertain what to do. She was obviously upset and slightly confused as to where she was hit. It was the end of a long day and all we wanted to do was go home and rest. But we decided to phone the maternity unit at Stafford Hospital, who asked us to come in for a check over. A five minute trip later, we arrived at the Maternity Unit, and a friendly midwife promptly gave my wife, and baby, a check over, a blood test, a dose of Anti D and more importantly, piece of mind. Thankfully, baby was absolutely fine. They followed this up with a phone call the following day to make sure everything was OK.
We now have one month to go before going back to the maternity unit for the birth of our baby, and couldn’t be any more confident that we’ll be in the best hands possible.
My main concern with the closure of the Stafford Hospital maternity unit is that they are putting expectant mothers at risk. If a pregnant lady in Stafford has a fall, or any other mishap, they will have to travel 30 minutes to the nearest maternity unit – not always easy if you are upset, alone or without transport. Unfortunately, this may sway some mothers not to bother having a check over and to take the chance that everything is fine. After a 9am – 5pm day at work, who wants an hour round trip for something they fear may be seen as trivial. It’s a sad fact that distance can sway 50/50 decisions like this.
Our unborn baby is thankful that Stafford Hospital has a maternity unit, and that he was checked out and looked after. He’s also happy that mummy and daddy had their mind put at rest within 30 minutes of leaving to the hospital, rather than still driving up the A34 at rush hour.
At the start of today’s consultation, Staffordshire County Council Leader Philip Atkins, said facilities for women to have their baby at Stafford Hospital should be available – if that is what residents are calling for – and said a midwife-led unit is the way forward.
He said: “If these proposals go-ahead mothers-to-be in Stafford will have to travel out of the town to give birth, where all the evidence suggests the majority could safely have their child at a midwife led maternity unit. People need to be given more choice and more flexible access to quality care in the community, rather than be forced into hospital because the support isn’t there.
“A midwife led unit in Stafford would offer women with routine pregnancies the chance to give birth supported by a midwife they have got to know and trust during their pregnancy and would complement the existing wider care provided in our community.”
4 comments
Paul Harvey
Dear All…
Whilst I take your concerns about distance to the UHNS Maternity Centre on board… I have to pose a question… The distances between Stone and Stafford , and Stone and UHNS are probably very similar – so that argument is actually quite redundant. I work at the UHNS maternity department (I am not a midwife) and I can quite categorically say that the staff there are exemplary and you all need not worry if Maternity Services do come to Stoke.
I am all for services being kept where they are needed and I am completely against the NHS becoming a business at the expense of patient care…. in fact I am quite incensed about it… but it is the way things are going unfortunately and the Public consultation will probably be just a paper exercise and the ‘Powers that be’ will do what they want anyway.
BUT nevertheless… The care at Stoke Maternity Department is excellent and you will most definately be very well cared for.
Councillor Mrs Jill Hood
The posting by anonymous DAD TO BE highlights just one of the problems that expectant parents will face if having to go to Stoke or any other hospital maternity unit other than Stafford. It’s a scary thought for a woman that when she goes into labour she’s not going to get to a hospital in time by any means of transport. Problems do occur although the majority of births are trouble free but if an emergency caesarean is needed what comfort is it to a panicking mother that she’s to be transported to a hospital miles away. The birth of a baby should be a wonderful experience for parents, not turned into a nightmare of worrying about the financial strain of how much fuel will cost travelling to see their baby each day. Pregnancy is a naturally stressful time and the need to be close to family and friends is essential, some mothers will become isolated as friends and family find it impossible to travel to see the new arrival if mother and baby have to stay in hospital for a certain time. It saddens me to think that the choice of where your baby is to be born is being taken away. I had the choice of Stoke or Stafford for three of my four daughters and chose Stafford. Above all to see STAFFORD on their birth certificates (as my father and his family have lived in Stafford for generations) makes me feel very proud. AND ……Before anyone criticises me for saying that, I was born in Stoke. If the foolish mistake of closing the maternity unit at Stafford is made with the reason that there’s not enough money to fund this and other vital services then I believe the decision will be proven to be WRONG! Our population is growing at an alarming rate, we are expecting over a thousand soldiers and their families but still they say Stafford Hospital services should be cut. Is it OK to say they’re talking out of their bottoms?
Claire
I am also a mother to be in Stone and I am due to have my second baby in Stafford hospital, couldn’t fault them with the care throughout and delivery of my last pregnancy and was gutted to think that I would not be able to give birth there again as they really put me at ease and made a very frightening and stressful time much easier and gave so much support to me at that time. A midwife led unit would be a good thing for me because I feel comfortable there and I think it would be sad for other mothers to be to miss out on that because the other hospitals are too far away or too busy with the overflow from Stafford.
Jamie Summerfield
Hi Claire. Thanks for your thoughts on this. All the very best 🙂