Maternity unit closure agreed after consultation

The Friarwood Birth Centre has been closed since 2019

A hospital's maternity unit is to close permanently, six years after it was temporarily shut due to a midwife shortage.

Friarwood Birth Centre at Pontefract Hospital was closed in 2019 on the grounds of clinical safety and has never reopened.

Following a consultation held earlier this year, Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership (WDHCP) agreed to close the unit at a meeting on Thursday.

The NHS previously said the number of births at the centre was "lower than expected" so it could not justify midwives being deployed there.

About 200 women a year gave birth at Pontefract before the unit's suspension.

Birthing provision has been prioritised at a maternity-led unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield since the temporary closure.

The WDHCP committee also agreed to retain antenatal and postnatal services at Pontefract, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A further recommendation to carry out a "stocktake" in 2028, to assess the impact of any demographic changes in the district and future demand for maternity services, was also approved.

Mel Brown, accountable officer for WDHCP, said: "After careful consideration of public feedback, clinical evidence, and service data, the WDHCP committee has agreed not to reinstate the midwife-led birthing unit at Pontefract Hospital and to focus the service at Pontefract on delivering comprehensive, high-quality antenatal and postnatal care, together with wider family support."

A report to the committee said reinstating birthing services at Pontefract would require additional staff at a cost of £1.3m.

The decision was taken after a 14-week consultation period launched in response to claims that decision makers had been "deliberately running down" the service to justify its closure

A total of 732 people engaged in the process, 75% of whom were women aged 20 to 39.

According to the report, 76% of respondents said they would choose to give birth at Pinderfields.

'Low demand'

The report said the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust's maternity services inspection ratings by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had improved since 2019 and there had been "no safety incidents associated with the withdrawal of the birthing facility".

"Birth rates nationally and locally show a declining trend, which means capacity in the maternity service exceeds current and projected demand."

It added the future capacity requirements would need to be "kept under review" to reflect population and birth rate changes.

Kerry Reede Field, director of midwifery, children's nursing and women's health at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust said: "Our priority is always to provide the safest possible care, while making the best use of our workforce and resources."

She said most families prefer to give birth in settings with a wider range of medical support available.

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