Maternity unit set to reopen after safety fears

A number of NHS staff held a protest at the closure of birthing services in May to campaign for its reopening

A timeline to reopen maternity services at a Somerset hospital is set to be released next month following a period of "significant upheaval".

Yeovil Hospital's maternity and paediatric units were closed on 19 May for an initial period of six months due to safety concerns stemming from staff shortages.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust plans to share in October a timeline and date for reopening, subject to meeting agreed safety criteria.

Peter Lewis, chief executive of the NHS trust, said: "We understand what an important role maternity services play in a family's life, and we are committed to continuing to improve our services."

Yeovil Hospital temporarily closed its maternity and paediatric units on 19 May after a watchdog flagged safety concerns

The trust temporarily closed the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and the inpatient maternity service at Yeovil Hospital due to concerns about the "safety, quality and fragility of the paediatric service".

In June, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published reports into the paediatric services at Yeovil Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital and rated the paediatric service at Yeovil as "inadequate" overall.

Since the start of the temporary closures, 268 babies who would have been born at Yeovil Hospital have been born elsewhere, the trust said.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Peter Lewis says staffing concerns in the paediatric service have since been addressed

"It is essential that we address concerns about the paediatric service. So that we can fully reopen the inpatient maternity service and SCBU," Mr Lewis said.

"Since the CQC inspected our maternity services in November 2023, we have made significant improvements and completed and embedded 94% of the actions in our improvement plan.

"It's important to say that we understand what an important role maternity services play in a family's life, and we are committed to continuing to improve our services."

He added: "We are doing that by developing a Somerset-wide paediatric service with services provided at Yeovil Hospital and Musgrove Park Hospital – and we are making good progress."

'Sufficient experienced paediatricians'

In the three months since the closures, the trust has appointed a clinical director for the county-wide paediatric service and is conducting interviews for consultant paediatrician roles.

It has also redesigned the paediatric consultant rota in line with national standards to ensure there are sufficient experienced paediatricians working during the busiest periods, out of hours and at weekends.

The trust is also taking the opportunity to make improvements to the maternity unit at Yeovil while it remains temporarily closed.

Essential repairs have been undertaken to install new fire doors and improve security, alongside planning for a dedicated obstetric recovery area.

"This is a period of significant upheaval for service users and for colleagues," Mr Lewis explained.

"We know just how important these services are and we are working quickly and thoroughly to provide an equitable, safe and quality paediatric service that will enable us to reopen the inpatient maternity unit and SCBU.

"Our work continues, but I want to acknowledge and thank service users and families for their understanding."