Homebirth service suspended in East Sussex

[sunriseanja]

Some of you may be aware that Sussex Hospitals Trust took a decision to suspend the homebirth service at the beginning of the week.

They quote staffing levels as the reason to have to redeploy midwives to cover the hospital and it has put local women in an unacceptable position having to leave their homebirth plans.

Various articles have hit the press so far: news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/1/hi/england/sussex/8576115.stm www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/2896979/Shortage-of- midwives-deprives-mums-of-chance-of-home-birth-and-Caesareans-on-rise.html www.theargus.co.uk/news/5067977.Sick_midwives_force_cancellation_of_home_\ births/ And it has been covered on both the lunchtime and evening news on BBC Sussex.

AIMS has been very helpful in preparing a document to support local mothers. The document states a very important message:

' It is unacceptable when faced with staffing problems in an obstetric unit to disband the home birth service, and deprive needy women of the specialist midwifery care that was established to help them. The problems with staffing need to be addressed seriously, and this will only be achieved when a community midwifery service is established by a Primary Care Trust, so that community midwives can focus of supporting normal birth and not be seen as stop-gap measure to be used when the Acute Units have staffing problems.'

Please share this information with Sussex women and respond to this post if you want to help the campaign.

Many thanks, Anja
Homebirth Coordinator Uckfield NCT and Independent Midwife

If you refuse to go in during the homebirth suspension you may need to ring an ambulance.

Unfortunately, this is much more expensive to the PCT than providing midwifery cover for homebirths!

I think the hospital management and HoM have been quite surprised by the amount of coverage. I think they hoped that it would pass quietly, with women being 'good girls' ( as Mary Cronk always says) and dropping their homebirth plans without a question!

Keep this subject alive, please write to your MPs, irrespective of where you live asking for reassurance that this will not happen in your areas. This is an election issue, so ask them to give you reassurance.

If you are in Sussex PLEASE write to your MP, the MSLC ( Maternity Services Liasion Commitee) and the Hospital Management.