Maternity unit closure 'becoming a nightmare'

An ongoing maternity unit closure is "becoming a nightmare", an expectant couple says.

Birthing services at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) in Barnstaple have been closed since 11 August due to staffing issues, meaning pregnant women face a 53-mile (85km) trip to Exeter to give birth just from the Barnstaple area.

There was a provisional reopening date of 29 September. Bosses have since said the service was not in a position to reopen.

Sean and his partner Amy, who is 36 weeks pregnant, live in Hartland with their three-year-old son. The father said they went through a birth plan at NDHH last week as they were expecting services to resume, but were now worried what was to happen.

Sean said: "It's very stressful. I mean, when we heard the news... we both kind of just sat there in silence and was a bit like: 'What next?'

"Amy's had a few complications with cysts on her ovary this pregnancy, and we've had to make a trip to Plymouth and Exeter... It's just becoming a nightmare."

Sean said it took them two hours to drive to both Exeter and Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, and 45 minutes to NDDH.

The father said he and his partner only had 45 minutes to spare after getting to the hospital after the birth of their first child.

"I don't think we're going to make it, if I'm honest," he said.

Sean said they were now having to consider alternative birthing plans.

He said: "One of our options, which Amy really doesn't want to have to go through, is seriously considering just booking a C-section.

"It's got to the point where she's like: 'Am I going to make it? Is it worth the stress? Am I better off having a C-section and then dealing with the recovery afterwards?'"

Speaking about the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Sean said feeling "angry is a bit of an understatement".

"I just can't see them being able to bring the staff in or even contemplate reopening in a month's time," he said.

Dr Vanessa Purday, chief medical officer at the Royal Devon trust, said bosses would continue to review reopening the service - which serves north Devon and part of north-east Cornwall - every two weeks and they were committed to reopening it.

She said: "We know that it takes two weeks from the decision when we know we're ready and that's about moving staff, moving equipment, rewriting rotas.

"I just want to reassure people that it remains our absolute priority, we recognise the worry and the concern it causes but I want to emphasise that we need to make sure that when we reopen we reopen safely and in a way that we can stay open so that you have confidence in that."

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