Protesters were set to gather outside a north London hospital on Friday to demonstrate against plans to close a maternity unit, after an MP warned that a change to services would see “vulnerable mothers lose out the most”.
Tulip Siddiq, MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, is expected to lead the demonstration outside the Royal Free hospital.
It comes after the NHS announced that maternity units at either the Royal Free or the Whittington Hospital in Archway could be wound down due to a "falling birth rate" in the area.
The North London Central Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is leading a consultation on the plans, has said that services need to be changed in the area to reflect “increasingly complex care” needs and tackle staff shortages.
The proposals would see the number of hospital sites delivering maternity and neonatal care in the area reduced from five to four, and the possible closure of birth suites at the Edgware Birthing Centre.
The NHS argues this would create "more resilient services" with the remaining units upgraded to provide "high level care", backed by £40 million in new investment.
But the plans have sparked a fierce backlash among local councillors and MPs, who have warned that closing the maternity unit could widen health inequalities and impact the safety of women and babies.
Speaking ahead of the protest, Ms Siddiq told the Standard: “The Royal Free’s maternity unit is a brilliant and much loved service, which is unique in its provision of holistic and cross-disciplinary care. It offers a number of life-saving services for pregnant women that are not available at other hospitals in the local area, including dialysis, 24/7 interventional radiology and a leading HIV antenatal clinic.
“Without access to these services, I am fearful that it is the most vulnerable mothers who will stand to lose out most. This maternity unit must stay open for their sake, as well as for the sake of the local community who rely on it so much.”
A senior obstetric consultant at the Royal Free Hospital said: “The threatened closure of this maternity unit would potentially widen existing health inequalities and put women’s lives at risk.
“Women living with HIV, liver conditions and diabetes are disproportionately from deprived and ethnic minority backgrounds, and those are all specialist services dependent on the expertise of the Royal Free Hospital. Losing these services could worsen existing health inequalities in the area, which would be contrary to the objectives set out by the Start Well team.”
A spokesperson for the North Central London ICB said: “We understand that people feel very strongly about potential changes to maternity and neonatal services and are grateful to all staff, patients and residents who have already fed in detailed and constructive feedback to the public consultation. It is really important that we hear from a range of voices and we encourage anyone who hasn’t already done so to respond to the public consultation before it closes on Sunday 17 March.”
They added: “We are consulting with an open mind and no decision has yet been made. Whatever the outcome, it would be some years before any of the proposed changes are implemented and all services are continuing to run as normal.”
