More than four in ten maternity units in NHS hospitals have turned away women in labour and forced them to travel miles to give birth, according to new figures.The statistics show the true scale of the crisis facing maternity units across the country, which could be putting the lives of mothers and babies at risk.
Many mothers-to-be have been forced to travel miles away from home after the doors were closed at their local NHS hospital.
The figures, from 103 of the 147 NHS trusts with maternity services, were obtained by the Conservatives under the Freedom of Information Act.
They revealed that 42 per cent have admitted to turning away women in labour on at least one occasion last year.
The figures show that nine per cent of the hospitals have turned women away on more than 10 occasions - the worst unit shut their doors 39 times.
The Conservatives blamed this on the Government’s closure of maternity units, which still continues. Ministers are closing smaller units and centralising services in larger hospitals.
There has already been an 18 per cent reduction in the number of beds in maternity wards across England since Labour came to power in 1997.
Overall, the number of maternity beds per 100,000 people across the country has dropped from 22 in 1997 to 18 in 2007.
Speaking last night, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley, said: “Labour is fixated with cutting smaller, local maternity services and concentrating them on big units.
“But women don’t want to have to travel miles to give birth. And they certainly don’t want to have to travel even further because they’re turned away by the hospital of the their choice.”
Katherine Murphy of the Patients Association said: “It is disturbing to see that so many healthcare trusts can turn away mothers at this crucial time.
“The greater the distance to travel, the greater the risk to mother and baby. Being treated near to home is safer.”
Mary Newburn, of the National Childbirth Trust, added: “These figures are shocking. The unscheduled closure of maternity units has a major impact on women and their partners.
“Parents lose all sense of control when the unit at which they have planned to give birth has been closed. It’s a major cause of anxiety.”
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “It is difficult to precisely predict when a mother will go into labour and sometimes, at times of peak demand, maternity units do temporarily divert women to nearby facilities. “It is often only for a few hours and to ensure mother and baby can receive the best care possible.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said: “It is difficult to precisely predict when a mother will go into labour and sometimes, at times of peak demand, maternity units do temporarily divert women to nearby facilities.
“When this does happen it is often only for a few hours and to ensure mother and baby can receive the best care possible.”
Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Size is not everything in maternity care, big does not mean better, and we would question whether bigger maternity units means better care for women and their babies.
“The key issue here is what the women want. Women want to know and develop a relationship with their midwife and not feel as if they are on a production line.
“Midwives want to be able to deliver the best possible individualised care and not feel like they are working in a baby factory.”
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