Arbroath Maternity under review
July 1, 2010
Arbroath Maternity Unit is under review, and Birth in Angus understands this may be the start of a planned wider review of maternity services across Angus.
NHS Tayside said today that falling numbers of births at the Arbroath facility were behind the move. According to a spokesperson, "We really want to understand why the numbers of actual deliveries in Arbroath are low. The review will look at who is booking-in to give birth at Arbroath and also which mums-to-be are choosing to go to other units in Tayside."
The spokesperson continued, "We want to stress that there is no predetermined outcome to this process. There will be opportunities for service users and members of the community to be involved in this review and we will be advertising these soon. We would urge all those interested to come and help us by getting involved."
Midwives in Abroath have launched a petition and contacted local politicians, as they believe the review puts the unit under threat of closure, and that levels of deprivation have to be taken into account. Their appeal says, "We will campaign as hard as we can to make sure that we do not lose your unit, but we need your help. We need current patients, ex patients, partners, family and friends to help us." The midwives are asking people to sign the petition, which is available in local shops. They also suggest emailing Gerry Marr, chief operating officer of NHS Tayside's single delivery unit, with reasons why the unit should stay open.
The midwives add, "After all, the Queen Mother Wing Maternity was part funded by the public of Arbroath and we should fight to make sure that this funding was not in vain."
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