January 2021

January 19, 2021

Covid crisis forces suspension of some maternity services

HSJ reports some trusts in London and the South East are closing   stand alone midwifery led units and warning they cannot support home births because of high levels of demand for ambulance services from Covid 19  patients. Women in East Sussex who planned to give birth at Eastbourne District General Hospital and Crowborough Birth Centre have been told they need to go to other units. Both Eastbourne and Crowborough have standalone midwife-led units and women who have complications in labour would need to be transferred by ambulance to another hospital. Meanwhile, London’s ambulance service is asking hospital maternity teams and parents-to-be to reconsider their home birth plans. The trust has seen a significant rise in demand for ambulances due to Covid 19

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