Causeway Hospital: Mums worried about births moving from Coleraine

Laura Magee says she's concerned about how far away Antrim would be for those who get bad news

A woman who had a stillbirth has said she is concerned about plans to move hospital births from Causeway Hospital in Coleraine to Antrim Area Hospital.

Laura Magee from Portrush has had three babies but lost her second.

"Finding out that news is such a shock and I was lucky I was only a few miles away from home and from family," the 34-year-old told BBC News NI.

"I can't imagine being told that news when you're so far away from everything," she added.

The Department of Health (DoH) is expected to make a final decision soon on whether all births will move from Causeway Hospital.

The Northern Health Trust's board approved the plans in March.

'Simply not sustainable'

Obstetrics and gynaecology consultant Dr David Morgan previously described the situation as "fragile and vulnerable", adding there was "a pressing need for change".

He said the service was quite fragile due to falling birth rates and difficulties recruiting midwives and doctors.

"Myself and my colleagues are very concerned that if the status quo continues we could very likely have a scenario where there is an unplanned and unexpected collapse in services," he said.

"That is due to reliance on locum temporary staff who provide a good service but are unpredictable in terms of availability.

"It is simply not sustainable to carry on as we are and there have been cases in the recent past where we're very much on the knife edge in terms of staffing levels and that is just not acceptable."

He said while clinicians felt there needed to be changes to how births were handled, prenatal and antenatal services "would actually be enhanced under the proposals".

The proposal has been opposed by many parents on the north coast of Northern Ireland in particular.

Rachel Smyth (left) is also concerned about potential maternity changes at Causeway Hospital

Rachel Smyth from Portstewart does not drive and said that meant transport could be an issue.

"With Causeway being nearby it is a bit easier to get a lift than having to go to Antrim," she said.

Mother-of-three Heidi Wright from Portrush said she was concerned about the length of time it would take to travel to Antrim.

"Jesse arrived in a bit of a hurry so I only got to hospital half an hour before he was born," she said.

"I would just be concerned that if I was to have another I wouldn't make it all the way to Antrim.

"It would be a 45 to 50 minute drive - that would be without traffic - so that would be my primary concern."

A protest was held in Coleraine in May against the closure of Causeway Hospital maternity services

The DoH said it was considering the recommendation from the Northern Trust regarding the future of maternity services at Causeway Hospital.

"This will be considered against the department's 2019 guidance on change or withdrawal of services," a spokesperson said.

"Any decision by the department will be assessed against the current legal framework for decision making by civil servants."