It has been reported that plans for a £2.9 million expansion of maternity services at 2 Leicester hospitals are expected to be approved this week.
The move comes following reports in May 2012 that campaigners were calling for answers about why maternity services in the district have been allowed to reach crisis point. Concerns were raised after the local newspaper reported the stories of 2 women who had arrived at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in the final stages of labour only to find that the service was so busy that they could not be put in a delivery room.
Leicester Maternity Services Expansion
The new plans will involve an increase in the number of delivery rooms at Leicester General Hospital and the creation of fourteen more maternity ward beds and additional bathroom facilities for most of the delivery rooms at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Currently, the hospitals are designed to cope with around 8,000 births a year. However, they are actually dealing with around 11,000 a year.
The plans have been welcomed by the Health Campaigners but there are still some concerns that the project is not due to be completed until November 2013.
Leicester South MP, Jon Ashworth, was reported as saying:
“I really hope the Trust can find a way to bring on these extra suites more quickly. The staff do a brilliant job but there are worries about capacity and there must be a way of making this happen more quickly.”
The plans also include dedicated maternity assessment centres at both hospitals.
A report to University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Directors said:
“The Trust has to balance the pros and cons of spending money on what is essentially a holding solution with the immediate and ongoing unacceptable risks that lie in operating maternity services from the current configuration. This investment is both necessary and justified.”
The plans to expand the service are a definite step in the right direction. However, it is of concern that the planned completion date is more than a year away when it is clear that the service cannot cope as it currently stands.
It is important that services are able to cope with the numbers of women giving birth each year to ensure that every patient receives the high quality of service that they deserve. The new project should go a long way to ensure that the maternity services in Leicester drastically improve.
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Danielle Young is an Associate in our Medical Negligence team.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with Danielle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.