Maternity unit closure consultation receives 250 responses

A meeting heard there had been “very positive” public engagement over proposals to shut Friarwood Birth Centre, in Pontefract.

The facility has not reopened since it was temporarily shut in 2019 on the grounds of clinical safety due to a midwife shortage.

In January last year, Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership (WDHCP) agreed to permanently close the facility.

The decision was then put on hold following criticism from Wakefield Council’s NHS scrutiny committee.

WDHCP also agreed to carry out a fresh consultation before making a final decision.

The 14-week process, which started on February 11 this year, was delayed due to the general election being called last summer.

Ruth Unwin, WDHCP director of strategy, told a scrutiny committee meeting that around 250 responses had been received at the midway point of the exercise.

She said: “That feels very positive because we know that things often take a while to take off by word of mouth.

“People will talk about it and share links and information. We hope that will build up towards the end rather than slow down.”

Ms Unwin said 77% of respondents were currently using, or had experience of using, maternity services in the district.

She added: “That’s the target group that we wanted to reach.

“Only 1.1% have got no family experience of using maternity services in this district.

“We are keen to hear the views from those people but they are not the target group. So most people have some experience of using services.”

Committee members were told that two-thirds of respondents were from Pontefract, Castleford or surrounding areas.

The director said: “Again, that is the group that we particularly want to hear from.

“But it’s also important that we hear from people across the Wakefield district, because whatever we do with the service in Pontefract has an impact across the whole of the district.”

The meeting heard two-thirds of those who engaged with the process were aged 20 to 39.

Maternity provision is currently prioritised at Pinderfields Hospital, with full antenatal and postnatal care services remaining at Pontefract.

The NHS has a statutory duty to consult the public if a service change is introduced for safety reasons.

Committee member Charlie Keith said: “My concern now is the amount of work that is going to be concentrated on Pinderfields birth unit.

“I would like to see us have some kind of indicator about its ability to cope, so we can be assured that the proposed new arrangements are working now and will be adequate for the future.”

Ms Unwin replied: “We have a business case that we are developing in the background.

“We have got evidence around patterns of use of the services over five or six years now and the impact of not having the birthing facility at Pontefract.

“We do understand that that hasn’t led to any untoward incidents that are associated with that.

“We can provide additional briefing information and we will make sure that’s covered in the response to the consultation as well.

“It will provide the evidence that Pinderfields has the capacity to cope.

“This change to the service just consolidates what’s already in place so it shouldn’t have a further impact.”

Councillors previously accused local NHS decision makers of “deliberately running down” the service to justify its closure.

The last public engagement on potential closure was carried out in 2018 and 2019.

At the time, The NHS said the number of births at Pontefract was “lower than expected” so it could not justify midwives being deployed there.

A report said about 200 women a year gave birth at Pontefract before the unit’s suspension and midwives continued to work at centres where the numbers were higher.

Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, also called for the centre to remain open, saying parents had been “let down.”

The cost of the consultation is expected to cost between £35,000 and £40,000.