Mothers-to-be on the Yorkshire Coast will have to travel more than 20+ miles to have their babies under the outcome of a review of Maternity Services provided by Scarborough NHS Healthcare Trust.
Proposals being put to the Trust board on Tuesday 26/06/07 will be to centralise births at a midwife-led unit at Scarborough. Closing Whitby, Malton & Bridlington's Maternity Units.  A review of services at Bridlington Hospital will see the appointment of a consultant to decide where patients should be sent for treatment.

Did you know say's Mick Pilling; the Bridlington Hospital's League of Friends have over the past years donated approx £400,000 to £500,000 worth of vital equipment for the Maternity Unit; what will happen to this equipment now the unit as plans to be closed and removed to Scarborough?? 

There will also be an agreement to work with the Primary Care Trust and GPs to provide a 24-hour minor injuries unit at Bridlington. The jury is still out on the future of coronary care (Cardiac Monitoring Unit) at Bridlington because that part of the review has not yet been completed.

But protesters fear closure is still on the cards for the five-bed cardiac monitoring unit, currently still open, and patients will be made to go to Scarborough, which they say could cost lives.

The Trust said yesterday the appointment of a consultant to assess patients would be an extra service. The idea has proved a big success in Scarborough by screening out patients who do not need hospital admission – but was scrapped in York. where it was found to make the system more unwieldy.

The changes to the maternity service are largely what was proposed at the start of consultations. They have run into much opposition locally, because people who have been able to have a midwife birth in Malton, Whitby and Bridlington will now have to go to Scarborough.

But the Trust argues that very few births were actually taking place in the units. Say's Mick Pilling; the Trust have moved the goal-posts so many times and the units have been short of staff so patients are told it is in there own interest to go to Scarborough; the Trust also stated; that all first time births would go to Scarborough but now we see mothers to be having there 2nd & 3rd Child also going to Scarborough so the Trust can claim the Maternity Unit is not utilised; they can then remove it.  Women very Nervous of complications, most pregnant women preferred to go to Scarborough so a consultant could be on hand in case something went wrong.  Information: Between Jan 06 and Sept 06 44 births were recorded in Bridlington from Sept 06 to Jan 07 only 6 births recorded; what does that tell you, need I say more.  By they way 4 births were recorded as given birth in the backs of Ambulances dec 06 & early Jan 07 (fact)

The community hospital units would still be used to provide the ante and post- natal care and other parenting activities which was the vast bulk of midwives' caseloads. The Town of Bridlington raised several thousands of £'s for a birthing pool in 2003 at Bridlington; this money lies in the Scarborough NHS big-pot...lets hope we get it back?  Chief Executive Iain McInnes as a record of this he tells me! 

However, the chairman of the Save Bridlington Hospital Campaign Action Group , Mick Pilling, said the changes were just wasting ambulance service time. He said: "The minor injuries unit which had been open 24/7 has now been closed for 10 months over-night it closes at 9.00pm until 9.00am next day and there is still no date set when it might reopen."  The Trust previously stated in early April 2007 when it had its consultations that the MIU could be up and running by June 2007; now the Trust tell us that another Nurse Practioner is on maternity leave and that it could now be another 3/4 months before we see it open; if at all; the Trust state they have been advertising for staff; we would most certainly like to see proof of this; we firmly believe the Trust are telling Porkie-pies!  What as happen to contingency plans within the NHS; have they gone to the wall?

Bridlington's 24 GP's stated in November 2002 it was essential that Bridlington had a MIU fully operational 24/7 to avoid seriously ill patients having to travel miles to the nearest Hospital either in Hull or Scarborough; Dr Pickering of Field House Surgery also started a Campaign, Dr's have always maintained the MIU should remain 24/7.

More Information: The PCT meets on Wednesday 27 June, at 9.30, at the Civic Hall Cottingham , when it will announce its business plan, with the submission to the Dept. of Health for funding.  You will I hope all have had the feedback document from the PCT, which is called CSCS feedback.  If you haven't seen it, it is on the PCT website.  It is well written and diplomatic, admitting many criticisms.  Nevertheless at the end there is a return to the PCT's idea of community teams etc., which I personally do not think can be funded as well as expanding and improving the hospitals in the Riding.  What do you think? Are we going to make a response on the 27th? A response from each hospital support group?  Can we try and do this electronically? If we circulated questions from each place in advance, we would avoid overlap and maybe make a stronger case.

Shall we nominate speakers?  If so, perhaps we should notify Deon Falcon in advance, as last time's chairman managed to close down the discussion, unfairly I thought.

The agenda should be out soon, so we can see the elements of the business plan.

Wednesday should be interesting, as I guess it will see the end of Patricia Hewitt, and with luck a whole new NHS direction.  You will probably also have had Mick Pilling's letter and press release from N Yorks who seem to be abandoning Bridlington - where does that leave our PCT?

For Beverley colleagues, is there any news on the situation at Westwood Hospital?