THE Okehampton community has reacted with anger to recommendations to close Okehampton Hospital’s maternity unit.

The Acute Services Review undertaken by a wide range of clinicians from Devon has recommended that midwifery-led maternity units should close in Okehampton, Tiverton, Honiton and Newton Abbot, while a greater emphasis is put on home birth and its consultant-led units at its main hospital sites in Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple and Torquay.

A briefing note on the first stage of the review was published last week, with the recommendation to ’re-locate’ the maternity unit at Okehampton alongside one of the four main units.

A spokesperson for the NHS in Devon said: ‘We will explore the potential to relocate our four midwifery-led units at Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Honiton and Tiverton alongside our consultant-led units at our main hospital sites.

‘The clinical recommendations, made by a group of clinicians from hospitals across Devon, are the first stage in the review. In the second stage, the recommendations will be tested in more detail to ensure they can be delivered with safe, cost-effective and reliable staffing solutions for the future. 

‘Should the final proposals be likely to result in significant change to local services, the public will be fully consulted in line with the NHS’ statutory requirements.’

The spokesperson also stated that despite the loss of the Okement Surgery and 16-inpatient beds at the hospital, on top of the potential loss of the maternity unit, that ‘there are no proposals to close Okehampton Hospital’.

‘Should a proposal be developed in future to remove the birthing centre at Okehampton Hospital, this would form part of a full public consultation that would consider, amongst many other factors, the pressures on other services as a result of any future decisions. At this stage, however, there is a set of clinical recommendations only.’

Okehampton’s mayor Cllr Jan Goffey said: ‘This was on the cards the moment we lost the Okement Surgery when the hospital lost its doctors. Since then it’s been the hospital beds and now this. It has felt inevitable.

‘At this rate we’re lucky to still have our hospital surviving — I don’t want to see the building lost to housing because then there is no way to get our services back. We are still fighting to retain the building and keep our clinics — but there is not any proof whatsoever that Okehampton has been properly thought about any more by the CCG since the end of the in-patient beds consultation when we were told that the rurality of Okehampton would be considered in relation to any changes to services.

‘The potential loss of the maternity unit makes me cross. Babies have been born for thousands of years just fine without the presence of doctors.

‘There are definite cases where specialist neonatal care and doctor presence is needed throughout, but most babies will be born perfectly healthily with a midwife.

‘Why should women having normal births have to travel so far to Exeter when Okehampton has a cherished midwife unit here?

‘People I have spoken to say that the Okehampton maternity unit is lovely, less pressured than a large hospital, more personal and with a fantastic level of care. It will be a great shame when all that is wiped away.’

Okehampton’s MP Mel Stride has said he will challenge the recommendations.

Mr Stride, who listed the future of local healthcare services as one of the biggest issues facing Okehampton after his re-election three weeks ago and is pushing hard for the hospital to be utilised as a Health and Well-Being hub delivering a range of outpatient services, said: ‘I was bitterly disappointed to learn that the proposals from NHS Devon’s clinical review for hospital acute services across Devon included the recommendation that midwifery-led births be withdrawn from Okehampton Hospital.

‘I have been in immediate contact with Dr Tim Burke, Chair of Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group to seek his comments and will be having discussions with the CCG shortly.’

Okehampton’s county councillor Kevin Ball said: ‘Our growing community has already seen a reduction in local services from the CCG and I will be working hard with Mel and others to retain our maternity unity. It’s a highly valued service and one that the community wants to keep.’

Since the news first broke last week, the community has reacted with anger and sadness, with dozens commenting on the Okehampton Times Facebook page.

Leah Henderson said: ‘This is such sad news. It is such a wonderful unit, I had the best experience there with my two youngest daughters. So sad that other mums and babies won’t get to experience it.

‘It is so peaceful and the staff are so dedicated, it is the perfect environment for new mums and their babies. What an absolute disgrace it is that these vital services for women are being closed down.’

Kay Grundon said: ‘Such sad news. I went back to Okehampton Hospital for after-care once I had my daughter in Exeter by C-section and I cannot praise the maternity unit and the team there enough.

‘I felt it was crucial to my recovery. It’s absolutely right that Exeter also has great midwives too but they’re so overworked. It’s a sad day.’

The review has been ongoing since late 2016 and was undertaken because doctors said key acute hospital services were likely to become unsustainable in future due to difficulty recruiting key clinical staff, large increases in demand for services and difficulty meeting national service standards.

Hundreds of clinicians, nurses, managers and patient representatives contributed to the review through workshops, events and feedback.

The clinical recommendations are the first stage in the review.

As part of the second stage, the recommendations will be tested in more detail to ensure they can be delivered with safe, cost-effective and reliable staffing solutions for the future.

Only once this assurance work is complete, can the recommendations be finalised. Should the final proposals be likely to result in significant change to local services, the public will be fully consulted in line with the NHS statutory requirements.

A full timetable would also be developed and published.