Don't put our babies at risk

From the archive, first published Wednesday 15th Mar 2006.

Mothers in Pembrokeshire have voiced deep concern over proposals to remove consultant-led obstetrics from Withybush Hospital.

Radical changes in the maternity services would mean Withybush would have a birthing centre led by midwives.

But women facing difficult deliveries or who experience last minute emergency problems would be forced to travel to Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen.

The maternity review for mid and west Wales proposes that in-patient paediatrics and the special care baby unit should also be moved to Glangwili. Louise Oxley, of Oakfields, Crundale, had an emergency caesarian at Withybush Hospital on January 27th when her first child Luke was born.

"Everything seemed to be going well," she recalled. "I had been in hospital for seven hours but literally at the 11th hour there was a hitch and I had to have an emergency caesarian."

Midwives are not able to carry out caesarian operations and if a consultant obstetrician had not been at hand, Louise would have faced an ambulance journey of more than 40 minutes to Carmarthen.

"If that had happened there could have been more serious complications, which would have put the baby and myself at risk," she said.

"I would not like to think that anyone would be placed in such a position. It's really not a good idea to remove the consultant obstetrician from Withybush."

Caroline Gardner of West Dairy, Wiston, who has two children, Caitlin, aged three, and Ewan, four months, said: "Both births were straight forward and midwife-led. But I would hate to have been in a position where I would have had to travel further than Haverfordwest if anything had gone wrong."

SWAT - the Save Withybush Action Team - has described the review document as flawed and says it makes false assumptions.

Lack of forward thinking over emergency transportation is a major concern.

SWAT chairman Dr Chris Overton said: "It seems unlikely that transport systems within west Wales are going to be improved, since the trend has been the opposite in recent years."

"While air ambulances are often cited as the answer, the crews themselves consider it is not appropriate transport for women in labour, particularly those suffering severe complications such as eclampsia, haemorrhage or foetal distress. Additionally the Air Ambulance is a charity and not an NHS service."

SWAT is also angry about the fact that the maternity unit at Withybush should have drawn negative comments from the visiting panel, while the Glangwili unit, which is in fact not as well provided, received positive comments.

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust said this review will now be considered as part of the regional acute services review.

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