Gas and air back at Peterborough hospital maternity unit

The use of Entonox in childbirth was suspended at Peterborough City Hospital last February

A hospital trust has brought back gas and air for pain relief to another of its maternity units.

It had been suspended at Peterborough City and Hinchingbrooke hospitals in Cambridgeshire due to staff safety.

It has now returned to Peterborough, following its previous reintroduction to the hospital in Huntingdon.

Some mothers previously told the BBC the suspension of the pain relieving gas mixture was "completely unacceptable".

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) had stopped using Entonox at Peterborough last February over concerns that staff were too exposed to it.

The trust said it had since been "safely reintroduced".

A spokesperson said: "We are really pleased to inform you that we have been able to safely reintroduce gas and air to our maternity units.

"Peterborough City Hospital has introduced mobile scavenger units to the delivery suite, which extract Entonox (gas and air) after it is exhaled, allowing us to stay within safe environmental levels.

"We appreciate this has been an anxious and unsettling time for our staff, women and birthing people."

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Entonox is a mixture of nitrous oxide combined with oxygen.

Melissa Davies, director of midwifery at the trust, said: "There were failed attempts to improve ventilation to bring nitrous oxide levels in balance at the hospital, after which scavenger units were ordered.

"These are specialist medical devices used to gather gas or aerosolized medication from the air."

Ms Davies said bringing back Entonox in Peterborough had been "a long time coming" and that its reintroduction was a "very high priority".