Betsi maternity changes: Pressing the reset button

So here we go again. Hospital chiefs in North Wales want to change (temporarily) maternity services in north Wales. They first announced the plans in February but public protests and legal challenges forced them to back down.

Today it was back, and like all decent sequels, this time it's different. Significantly, the public will be consulted on what they think about the ideas. This didn't happen in February because the health board said the changes were so urgent that they didn't have the time.

Plans

The public will be asked for their opinions on a number of options. Most controversially it will include downgrading the maternity unit at one of the district general hospitals in Bangor, Wrexham or Bodelwyddan. The consultation will last 6 weeks and begin on Monday (24th). The full plans can be ready here.

The health board say they simply do not have enough doctors to run the specialist service across three sites. They are heavily dependent on temporary medical staff. They argue the situation isn't safe and can't go on.

But campaigners are not happy with the choices on offer:

A conclusion will come in November after the consultation process has ended, 9 months after the plans were first made public. Expect passions to run high.