Walsall Manor Hospital to deliver 700 fewer babies
A cap on the number of babies that can be born at Walsall Manor Hospital is set to affect up to 200 more mothers-to-be than first thought, it has been revealed.
Health chiefs have now confirmed they are in talks with bosses at Sandwell Midwifery Unit and Dudley's Russells Hall about taking on dozens of expectant Walsall mothers to ease the pressure on Walsall's failing maternity unit.
Walsall Clinical Commissioning Group has already implemented a cap aiming to reduce the births at the Manor from 4,900 a year to around 4,400.
Those 500 women, registered at GPs in Willenhall and Staffordshire will be asked to have their babies at New Cross in Wolverhampton.
But now the CCG wants to reduce newborns at the Manor further to 4,200 every 12 months, because the midwife to birth ratio is still way above national recommendations.
Walsall health bosses confirmed that the talks were taking place and would continue over the next few weeks, but they could not say at this stage which GP surgeries in the Walsall area would effected.
Amir Khan, medical director of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "We think up to 4,200 births a year is safe and will enable us to meet the national recommendations for births to midwives.
"Walsall Manor Hospital delivered 4,900 babies last year so it means around 700 mothers will be moving.
"We have already agreed for 500 to go to New Cross in Wolverhampton but there is still a gap of around 200.
"We are now in discussions with Dudley and Sandwell."
Mr Khan added: "We are now looking to scope what areas those mothers would come from.
"We are considering which geographical areas will be the most appropriate but our priority is equality.
"We don't want to tell patients you can't come here without finding somewhere else for them to go."
The changes come on the back of the Care Quality Commission placing the Manor Hospital in special measures after branding care 'Inadequate' especially in maternity services where limited capacity and understaffing were said to be putting patients at risk.
A £6 million plan to expand the estate has been earmarked, including increasing neo natal beds from 15 to 20, installing a new delivery suite and creating extra maternity beds, but the project may not be completed for up to two years.
Bosses have said the key to ensuring safe levels of care lies in recruiting enough midwives.
The national recommendation for births to midwives is a ratio of 1:28 with the Manor operating at 1:32.5.
