Concerns about the temporary closure of North Devon District Hospital’s maternity unit will be aired at a special Devon County Council meeting.
Our Health and Adult Care Committee will meet on Monday, August 17 to discuss the closure, which was announced last week and is due to take effect from Tuesday (August 11).
The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has said the closure is due to “critical staffing shortages”. It means expectant parents will have to travel to Exeter or Taunton to give birth.
Committee chair Councillor Jess Bailey said:
“The staffing issues behind this closure have clearly been developing for some time, yet it was announced with little notice. We will seek assurance from the hospital trust that a robust plan is in place to ensure it is reopened as soon possible.
“The unit will have been closed for six days by the time the committee meets, so some of the impacts on families, the safety of new mums and the effectiveness of the trust’s mitigation plans should be understood by then.”
Council leader Councillor Julian Brazil said:
“Some remote parts of North Devon are a two-hour drive from Exeter – and that’s when there is no traffic or road closures.
“For a council which has put improving the lives of children and families as its top priority, this closure is extremely concerning. It is not a decision which would be countenanced in other parts of the country and we should not accept second-rate NHS provision here.”
A number of subject matter experts will be invited to give evidence to the committee, whose role is to scrutinise public health and health services in Devon.