1 in 6 women in labour transferred

ONE in six women admitted to give birth at downgraded Solihull Hospital had to then be taken to another hospital to deliver, figures uncovered by The Silhillian show.

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Axe falls on Solihull maternity

SOLIHULL Hospital’s full maternity unit will not be reinstated, meaning a fraction of women will give birth there, it was confirmed yesterday.

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0.1 per cent gave views on maternity axe

JUST 181 people gave their views on controversial plans to downgrade Solihull Hospital’s maternity unit – with most backing the move.

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MP: maternity loss a “fait accompli”

PLANS to cut maternity services are a “fait accompli” Solihull MP Lorely Burt has told the Commons in an attack on Prime Minister David Cameron.

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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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Public meeting on maternity plans on Monday

A PUBLIC meeting on controversial plans to strip most births from Solihull Hospital will be held in Shirley on Monday.

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Doctor: maternity axe will bring 'improvements'

REMOVING most births from Solihull Hospital offers will deliver ‘far reaching improvements to health’ a top doctor has said.

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Maternity must be downgraded, says NHS consultation

THREE in four births must stop at Soilihull Hospital, bosses will say at the launch of a formal consultation on its future next week.

Solihull and Birmingham NHS managers will propose the hospital has only a midwife-led birthing centre.

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Maternity bosses seek mums' leader

HEALTH chiefs are seeking a mum or mum-to-be to lead group on the future of maternity services.

It comes as Solihull Hospital’s maternity unit was stripped of doctors, seeing about a tenth of the births it used to see.

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Maternity re-opens - but less mums will be seen

SOLIHULL Hospital’s maternity unit re-opened this week – but will only be able to cater for a fraction of the mums who used it before.

Patient Emma Metcalf with midwife Lorraine Puni

Bosses say 300 to 350 mums-to-be a year are expected to use the unit, which is now only staffed by midwives.

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Letter reveals NHS concerns over baby death

A HEALTH chief quizzed another over lack of staff and procedures after a baby death and other near misses that led to maternity cuts in Solihull Hospital, The Silhillian can reveal.

Ian Mather, consultant in public health at Solihull NHS Care Trust wrote to hospital boss Ian Cunliffe with concerns following two September 2008 incidents that ended with one newborn dead.

This led to concerns within the trust – which decides where NHS cash is spent – that led to plans to close the maternity unit. Bosses said lack of staff posed too much a danger.

In the first incident a woman expecting a normal birth had to undergo a caesarean at Solihull Hospital after the baby’s heart rate increased.

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Maternity to re-open on July 19

SOLIHULL Hospital’s maternity unit will re-open on July 19, NHS bosses confirmed yesterday.

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MP 'hopeful' for maternity with Tory Government

MERIDEN MP and cabinet minister Caroline Spelman says she is ‘more hopeful’ for under-threat maternity services now the Conservatives are in power.

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Midwife ban

A MIDWIFE who worked at Solihull Hospital has been banned from practising over fears about her competency, The Birmingham Mail reports.

Baby fears as Heartlands slammed

A HEALTH campaigner has said she is concerned for Solihull mums-to-be after a damning report into another hospital they now face having to go to.

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Pregnant women stage maternity protest

PREGNANT women and Conservatives held a protest against this week's temporary closure of maternity services at Solihull Hospital, The Birmingham Mail reports.

Solihull maternity closes on Monday

SOLIHULL’S maternity service will close from Monday until mid July – as fears rise that mums will struggle to go elsewhere.

Solihull Hospital will close to all deliveries over managers’ fears that there are not enough staff to meet safety standards.

It had pledged to consult before changes but made the shock move in January because they said standards could not be guaranteed.

It will re-open for midwife led births only and its long-term future will be consulted on in the autumn.

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Anger at 'political' Facebook maternity group

MEMBERS of Facebook groups campaigning over maternity services have turned on its politician founder after she sent them a message backing Conservative policies.

They said Maggie Throup – the Tories’ MP hopeful for Solihull – should not be using the groups for political purposes.

Messages left on the two groups included one which said: “I did not join this group so I could be canvassed via my inbox.”

The Silhillian contacted Mrs Throup on Wednesday for a comment but has yet to receive one.

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NHS watchdog slams trust's staffing and skills

HOSPITAL bosses have been slammed by the national watchdog for a lack of staff and poor skills and training.

The Care Quality Commission, the NHS regulator, has demanded Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust improve standards on services including tests, maternity and surgery.

Trusts now have to register with the watchdog to operate – and the CQC imposed a raft of conditions demanding improvements on admitting HoE. Most trusts do not have conditions.

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'Complacent' warning over town's NHS

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt has urged people not be ‘complacent’ about the NHS after the ‘erosion’ of the town’s services.

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