Maternity unit will be reopened, trust says
News By Amanda Williams,
covering Health. Call me on 01865 425426 Oxford Mail
GUARANTEES
have been made that a west Oxfordshire maternity unit, which was closed over
staff and patient concerns, will reopen. The
Oxford Mail can reveal that births were suspended at the Cotswold Maternity
Unit based in Chipping Norton over concerns about the number of women who were
referred on to a main hospital even though it had been intended they would give
birth there.
The Oxford
University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the service, said it had
taken the decision to suspend births ‘with immediate effect’ from 4pm on
Thursday. It said
it took the decision after staff and patients raised concerns, and it has now
launched an internal review. Jane Hervé, a newly appointed head of midwifery at
the trust, will now lead the review into all aspects of the unit’s working
practices.It is expected to take three months. She said: “It is not just one issue, it is a number of things that have come to light, which we have now got to explore. “For example, the expected transfer rate from the Cotswold unit to the consultant led team at the JR and the Horton has been higher than other years. “It doesn’t mean that there is a problem, but we do monitor the trends as part of good working practices. “At the moment, the transfer rate is 45 per cent. For a standalone unit like the Cotswold, we would expect it to be around 25 per cent". "She added: I can guarantee the unit will reopen.”