LIBERAL Democrat Leader Ed Davey has slammed bosses at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for putting expectant mothers at risk and “woefully failing” to fix the ongoing maternity care crisis.
It comes as an analysis of NHS Resolution figures paint a "devastating picture" of obstetric health in Somerset, with 63 families suing Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for the care they had received between April 2019 to April 2024.
In this same time period, £45.3 million was paid out in damages to 41 families.
Ed Davey is today (Friday, September 12) visiting Ilminster to meet new parents and take part in a baby sensory class with Yeovil MP Adam Dance.
During the visit they will also be discussing the recent closure of Yeovil District Hospital Maternity Unit and how it is impacting expectant mothers.
The temporary closure of the inpatient maternity service and Special Care Baby Unit at Yeovil District Hospital, previously rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission for being "understaffed" and "ill equipped" to deal with emergencies, has forced expectant mothers to travel to further away hospitals while in labour.
The inpatient maternity service and Special Care Baby Unit at Yeovil Hospital temporarily closed due to concerns about the quality, safety, and fragility of the paediatric service at the hospital.
READ MORE: NHS Somerset issues update after Yeovil maternity services closure
In April the Government announced cuts to the national Service Development Funding (SDF) for maternity services from £95m in 2024-25 to just £2m in 2025-26.
The fund had been introduced following the Ockenden Review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford to improve the quality of maternity care.
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to immediately implement all of the actions from the Ockenden report into maternity care and to reverse the cuts to the SDF.
Since the temporary closure of Yeovil maternity services was announced in May, Adam Dance has continuously raised concerns about the impact on patients and called for the hospital to be more transparent in their communication with the community by setting out a clear timeline for when the unit will reopen and bringing forward immediate measures to address staffing shortages and governance issues within the hospital’s paediatric services.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: “It is absolutely shameful that maternity care in Somerset has reached this point. Expectant mothers were already at risk from understaffed, under-resourced maternity units.
"Forcing them to give birth in hospitals plagued by the same issues, but even further away, will compound an already devastating and dangerous situation.
“I admire the tremendous work of obstetricians and midwives, but without appropriate resources or funding, they are left struggling to provide safe care to mothers throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
“Chronic mismanagement and neglect by the previous Conservative Government left NHS Somerset at breaking point, and Labour has been far too slow to grip the crisis.
"But bosses at this trust need to start communicating with the community and bring forward immediate measures to address staffing shortages and governance issues within the hospital’s maternity services, like Adam Dance has been calling for since May."
Adam Dance, MP for Yeovil added: “Expectant parents should not have to travel miles while in labour, and they should never be left in the dark. I have heard from families and staff who feel scared, let down and ignored. We need answers, a proper plan, and urgent action to make sure this vital service can return – safely – as soon as possible."
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