Well what can I say; I told you so!  

3 babies have now been born in lay-bys and at the side of the road as they struggle to get the 20+ miles to hospital at Scarborough because the Trust have closed Bridlington Hospital Maternity Unit; YES! 3 babies born in the backs of ambulances in less than a month......What a state of affairs.....we are disgusted says our group.

Tut, Tut, Gilly Collinson....Lessons could be learnt; the Trust are not about learning lessons; they are about saving money; we stated to you on more than one occasion that if the Bridlington Maternity Unit closed this would most certainly happen; if any person loses there baby through this practise then you will need more than lessons; don't you believe?

When the Trust find themselves in a corner, they move the goal-posts; before the Trust took over the Bridlington Hospital; all babies were born in Bridlington without any problems, so what is the problem now!  1st time births never went to any other hospital in the past.

We feel it is high time the Trust started doing a little more for Bridlington.

Are you also aware the extra strain this placed on the Ambulance Service in the rural area?.....Mother and Baby (new born) can hold an ambulance up for approx 1 hr whislt giving birth at the side of the road... We need all Ambulances for extreme emergencies... I look forward to your reply and answers.....and the future of new born babies

Mick Pilling

Response from Iain McInnes

Good Morning Mick

Firstly the Bridlington Hospital midwife led Maternity Unit IS NOT CLOSED. 

Midwife led “home from home” births are still taking place at Bridlington and are still being booked for future delivery.  Home deliveries are also continuing and will continue in the Bridlington area.

THE DECISION WHETHER TO CHANGE SERVICES WILL NOT BE MADE UNTIL WE HAVE COMPLETED AND REVIEWED THE CURRENT PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS.

Secondly, in recent years a number of “first time births” have ALWAYS been delivered at Scarborough or Hull as these mums have been under consultant led care, with a complex pregnancy, and as such have needed a consultant led delivery. We have not had consultant led deliveries at Bridlington for a number of years.

There always have been, and probably always will be, a number of mums who deliver very quickly, despite all our best efforts to get them to where they need to be.

We all work together; parents, ambulance services and our maternity staff, to try and ensure mums give birth where they need to be. I do not know the detail of all the “roadside births” you refer to but I do know these were not births that were booked to deliver at Bridlington; most importantly all three mums and babies are doing well despite their unusual delivery.

Finally, I do not know the source of your incorrect information regarding closure of the midwifery led maternity unit at Bridlington Hospital , BUT thank you for giving me the opportuinty to correct the misinformation.

Regards

Iain McInnes
Interim Chief Executive Scarborough & North East Yorkshire NHS Trust

Reply from Mick Pilling (Chairman)

We stated the Bridlington Hospital Maternity Service as closed; (not true)...we are informed; the Maternity Unit is under a full review along with Malton and Whitby and a consultation document as been put out; we don't believe these documents do any good but cost a lot of tax payers money; usually decisions have been and discussed in full and the out come is known all along.....a consultation document as to be put out 3 months before action can be taken....we firmly believe that the Bridlington Hospital's Maternity Unit's fate is sealed.

The opening hours of the Maternity Unit leaves a lot to be desired......