SOMERSET leaders have united in opposition to the six-month closure of maternity services at Yeovil District Hospital.
Every Liberal Democrat member of Somerset Council have joined all county MPs in writing an open letter to NHS bosses over last week’s decision to shut the Maternity & Special Care Baby Unit at the troubled hospital.
The move came after a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report highlighted failings at the facility, with NHS bosses saying there were “concerns about the safety of the care for babies and children”.
Despite the closure being ‘temporary’ – for six months – Lib Dem MPs said they have received no assurance that the unit will reopen.
The closure will direct pregnant women to Taunton, Dorchester and Bath Maternity Units, leaving the whole of Somerset with a single full-service maternity unit.
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Meanwhile, the Taunton unit – at Musgrove Park Hospital – was described as “traumatic, super hot and overcrowded” in its latest CQC inspection.
In their letter, the Liberal Democrats seek assurances over the future of the Yeovil site, which they say is essential for large parts of rural South East Somerset as well as the towns of Yeovil and Chard.
Somerset Council leader, Bill Revans, said: “We have been clear with our NHS partners that the Yeovil unit must re-open. For a county the size of Somerset to have a single full-service Maternity Unit for nearly 600,000 people feels extremely risky.
“The Taunton site is already under pressure and we remain to be convinced that proposals are safe for women.”
A demonstration over the closure was held at Yeovil District Hospital on Monday
On Monday (May 19), Somerset Councillor and MP Adam Dance (Lib Dem, Yeovil), led a protest at the Yeovil site, attended by hundreds of campaigners.
“The closure of the maternity unit has shaken our community,” he said. “I’ve heard from worried parents, concerned staff, and those heartbroken that they may no longer be able to give birth locally.
“With no confirmed date for reopening, the uncertainty is unacceptable.”
Somerset Lib Dem MPs have also written separately to the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, and to the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, to seek assurances, which they say have so far not been forthcoming.
And last week, Mr Dance raised the issue with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs, who said he would arrange a meeting with the Health Secretary.
All 61 Somerset Lib Dem Councillors have written jointly to Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset ICB to express concerns over these plans, and to ask for a clear timetable and mitigations to reduce the impact on parents and families.
Portfolio holder for public health at the council, and registered nurse, Graham Oakes, said: “The people of Yeovil need the full range of services that a district hospital provides, including a Special Care Baby Unit and a Maternity Unit.
“We need a date when the Maternity Unit will reopen, and in the short term, look at alternative ways of operating it.
“This must be achieved not only for women planning to have their baby locally but also before the increased workload on the Taunton Maternity Unit creates problems there.”
READ MORE: Yeovil news from your Somerset Leveller
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