Fewer births may force London maternity services to close
- Published
NHS North Central London said it needed to cut the number of maternity units in its area due to declining birth rates
Maternity services could close at one of two London hospitals due to fewer births, the NHS said.
NHS North Central London said it needed to cut the number of maternity units in its area due to declining birth rates.
It has launched a public consultation, proposing to close either the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead or Whittington Hospital in Archway.
Concerns have been raised but NHS bosses said "nothing has been pre-decided".
NHS North Central London covers five London boroughs - Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.
It said the number of its maternity units needed to be reduced from five to four.
The remaining units would be upgraded to provide "very high level" care, it said.
Under the proposals, maternity services at Whittington Hospital in Archway could close
Some local residents have voiced their concerns.
Mayani Muthuveloe, from Whittington Maternity and Neonatal Voices, told BBC London that Whittington Hospital was a community where women "are excited to see the same faces again".
She said there was a "sense of reassurance" giving birth in a hospital near to where family and friends live, and travelling to a facility further away would "add pressure".
The Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, Tulip Siddiq, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it would be a "tragedy" to lose maternity services at the Royal Free.
Ms Siddiq, whose children were born there, described it as an "important service" and said it held a "special place" in her heart.
Maternity services at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead are also under threat
Dr Jo Sauvage, the chief medical officer at the North Central London Integrated Care Board, told BBC Radio London: "We want to make sure that all pregnant people within north central London have access to the same, high quality, safe services and also positive patient experience."
But, she said, half of the cots at the Royal Free Hospital neonatal unit were not in use on any given day.
She said pressures in staff recruitment would also be alleviated by reducing maternity units in the area.
Under the plans, £40m would be invested in the four hospitals that would continue to deliver maternity and neonatal care.
Each of the sites would have a home birth service, improved neonatal facilities, a consultant obstetrician-led labour ward and a birthing unit led by midwives for low-risk births.
Dr Sauvage said the consultation sought the views of local residents, doctors, staff and those who previously used the services.
She said the information gathered would inform the board's decision "entirely".
The consultation, external runs until 17 March.
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