Midwifery unit suspended amid staffing shortage

The midwifery unit offers a "comfortable, relaxed and low-tech environment" to women

A midwife-led birth unit has temporarily closed due to "staffing challenges" facing maternity services in its town.

In a post on Facebook, the Eastbourne Midwifery Unit (EMU) said it was shut for labour care and births until Friday, when the decision would be reviewed.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said staff had been redeployed to ensure it could maintain a safe service.

The EMU said it understood this was "distressing" for families but it was the "safest option".

The midwifery unit says it offers a "comfortable, relaxed and low-tech environment" to healthy women between the ages of 16 and 40 years old with uncomplicated pregnancies.

There are no doctors and pain relief is only available in the form of water, gas and air, and pethidine injections.

Announcing the closure, it said: "We understand this is distressing for families planning to give birth at EMU however we believe this to be the safest option to support all of the maternity services across ESHT at this time.

"Please contact EMU or your community midwife with any concerns for this and remember that triage remains open 24/7 for any immediate concerns regarding your pregnancy."

'Safe services'

A spokesperson from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: “Due to staffing challenges facing our maternity services in Eastbourne, we have redeployed staff from the Eastbourne Midwifery Unit into our community midwifery team to ensure that we are able to continue to provide safe, high quality home births and maternity care within the community."

It said its maternity team was in touch with those affected, and they would be "fully supported with safe and effective maternity care" should they go into labour this week.

"We are actively reviewing the staffing situation over the coming weeks to ensure that we can maintain safe services over the Christmas and New Year period," the spokesperson added.