Blow to hospital campaign

HOPES of keeping Solihull Hospital's maternity services have been dealt a major blow after a committee of councillors refused to intervene and backed the plans.

The independent committee could have halted plans to remove most births by referring them to the Government for a final decision.

But the councillor-led committee said it “reluctantly” accepted NHS chiefs’ decision, made over safety concerns.

This will see 300 to 500 births a year compared to 2,800 with the full service.

Yet the committee said a full service should be returned if ‘circumstances change’ and more staff should be recruited.

Conservative general election candidate Maggie Throup led a rally again the plans

Health chiefs want to remove maternity doctors from the hospital, leaving only a midwife led service. This would see doctors and most mums go to other hospitals.

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They argue there is not enough staff to cover Solihull Hospital, Sutton Coldfield’s Good Hope and Boredesley Green’s Heartlands hospitals.

This was putting babies who need rescucitating at risk because doctors are not available, they argue. More staff are also needed for deprived areas in the north of the borough, they added.

The committee said it “preferred to have seen a full obstetric led service provided at Solihull Hospital” but “reluctantly accepts that this is no longer a sustainable or viable option”.

It found: “Looking forward, the joint committee acknowledges that an MLU at Solihull
Hospital is currently the only viable option and that every effort should be made to ensure that it succeeds, grows and is maintained into the future for the benefit of those mothers that are able or choose to use this type of facility.

“However, having said that, the joint committee is strongly of the view that should circumstances change over time, commissioners should consider the re-introduction of a full obstetrics service at Solihull Hospital.”

A public consultation on the plans closes on Monday. Click here for details.

The joint health overview and scrutiny committee, made up of councillors from Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, had to be consulted by law.

It clashed with Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, when the trust removed doctor-led births in January.

But councillors were not informed, despite legislation which demands the committees be told ahead of major changes to NHS services. NHS bosses said safety concerns demanded closure.

The committee then backed the closure in March. The unit then closed to all births from April 26 to July 19 to allow building work for it to re-open as a midwife led unit.

NHS Birmingham East and North and Solihull NHS Care Trusts were responsible for the following consultation with residents and the committee.

Communication between the trusts and committee then improved, councillors said, but it said it found out about a study into future options “by accident”.

It found: “The joint committee in responding to this consultation reminds the trusts of the need for maintaining an open and honest dialogue with scrutiny.”

It said the review found midwife ‘staffing problems’ across Birmingham and Solihull.

It said the trusts “should commit to recruiting and then retaining the right levels of suitably qualified and trained staff in the interests of ensuring good quality patient care”.

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