Birth centre is service we can’t afford to lose

(This is an open letter to the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups, written on behalf of three campaign groups against the proposed closure of St Mary’s Birth Centre, in Melton Mowbray).

WE are writing about the Building Better Hospitals in the Future consultation and the plans to move St Mary’s Birth Centre in Melton Mowbray to a proposed new midwife-led unit within Leicester hospitals.

According to 2019 statistics for St Mary’s Birth Centre, the women who gave birth there lived in Melton, Leicester and the following areas: Vale of Belvoir, West of Leicester (Charnwood, Loughborough and Coalville), outside of Leicestershire (such as Grantham) and Rutland County.

If Melton loses its birth centre, what are the plans to replace this service for the women and families in Melton and these surrounding areas? Women from these more rural areas would have to travel further to give birth and to access support before and after birth.

The consultation mentions plans for more community maternity services but there is no detail on what services locally would replace the birth centre and if that care is available 24 hours a day.

The in-patient, post-natal care provided locally by St Mary’s Birth Centre is invaluable and is also available to women located elsewhere.

In 2019, 331 women were transferred from Leicester hospitals to St Mary’s Birth Centre for post-natal care.

There is no in-patient post-natal care planned for the proposed new midwife-led unit at the Leicester General.

This means that there will be no option for in-patient care around post-partum recovery and breast feeding if St Mary’s Birth Centre closes.

What will happen if women need post-natal care after closure of St Mary’s? How would this care be delivered in the community?

Currently, pregnant women in Melton can have their antenatal appointments at the birth centre. Where will these women go for their antenatal appointments if the birth centre closes?

Where will they go for care/support in the early days after having their babies? What if women and their families don’t have access to their own transport?

The birth centre at Melton is a much loved and vital service, giving women more choice in how they wish to give birth, easier access to pre and post-natal care and confidence knowing support is easily accessible.

As a recent study made by members of the health and policy unit at De Montfort University suggests, it would be a mistake to close St Mary’s as maternity services may struggle to cope.

The study also stated that “there are a number of advantages in keeping St Mary’s open. It has an established reputation for providing good quality care, it is especially valued for its post-natal care and is accessible to women on the eastern side of our geographical patch”.

We are sure that births and overall use of the birth centre’s services would increase if it was promoted and women from out of the Melton area knew that it was also available to them.

We have received many testimonials of women stating that they were not aware of its existence and were not offered it as a place to either give birth or for post-natal care.

At a time when Melton is continuing to grow and welcome more families, our birth centre is a service we cannot afford to lose.

Save St Mary’s Birth Centre SOS – Save St Mary’s Birth Centre and Speak Up for

St Mary’s Birth Centre