Maternity services to be reinstated at Westmorland General Hospital
Birthing services at Helme Chase at Westmorland General Hospital will be reinstated next year after services shut in May due to a shortage of midwives.
At the time, the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) which runs the site said it was because there was not enough staff to safely deliver care overnight and at weekends.
Since the services were suspended, the Trust says it has continued to recruit to vacant posts whilst also working with maternity teams to review the way community midwifery care is delivered across Morecambe Bay.
From February, women will be able to give birth in the unit again supported by a midwife.
Susan Foyle, Director of Midwifery, UHMBT, said: “We are pleased to share that a significant amount of midwifery vacancies have now been filled and a new way of cross-bay working has been established with our community midwifery team which allows us to ensure a sustainable service in the community and at Helme Chase.
"This has enabled us to plan to reinstate birth services at Helme Chase in February 2025.”
The reinstated service at Helme Chase will be provided by a cross-bay midwifery team. To prepare for this, training and orientation will take place during this month and throughout January.
From 6 January 2025, home births will be available cross bay; and birthing services at Helme Chase will be relaunched from Monday 10 February.
Helme Chase will operate on the same model as it did before with women able to give birth in the unit 24-hours a day, seven days a week, supported by a midwife (out of hours via an on-call system). Ante-natal and post-natal care will continue as normal in the unit.
Ms Foyle said: “As a Trust, we are really pleased that we are at the point where we can reinstate the service at Helme Chase. We are fully invested in the NHS' plan for maternity that advocates for personalised care and supporting women to give birth in a place of their choice; and this allows us to deliver that promise to our local communities.
“I’d like to thank all the colleagues involved for their professionalism and dedication to providing the best possible care for women and families across Morecambe Bay. I’d also like to thank our local Maternity Voices Partnership for their ongoing support and guidance.”
Janet Gorry, Bay-Wide Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership Lead, added: "I am delighted that the midwife-led birth services at Helme Chase are being relaunched, and 24 hours home birth services will be fully available from January 2025.
"The dedication from midwives across Morecambe Bay has been outstanding, their commitment to deliver safe and effective maternity care has ensured the longer-term stability of Helme Chase for the community. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them on behalf of all the parents and new mums-to-be who have supported the reopening of the midwife-led birth services and home births across Morecambe Bay.”
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