Maternity services in Dorset explored

Councillors have been given an update on the county's maternity services in the light of the closure of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Yeovil Hospital.

Members of the authority's People and Health Scrutiny committee were told by senior leaders at Dorset County Hospital of the progress to maternity services at Bournemouth, Dorchester, Poole and Salisbury hospitals following recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.

Members were also provided with information about the work currently taking place to give women the choice of maternity services following the announcement of the six-month closure of the Yeovil SCBU due to shortages in paediatric care in May.

Women have the choice to either come to Dorset County Hospital or go to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, the Royal United Hospital, Bath or Salisbury Hospital.

Weekly collaboration meetings are taking place between Dorset County Hospital and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust with workstreams and leads identified covering clinical pathways, digital, communications, workforce planning, finance and diagnostics to ensure things run as smoothly as possible.

Following a number of questions, councillors said they felt reassured by the measures being put in place to ensure that expectant mothers will receive the best support regardless of which hospital they choose to attend.

Councillor Toni Coombs, chair of the People and Health Scrutiny committee, said: "The Committee wanted to understand the wider accessibility and quality of the services available to our residents at this life changing stage of their lives.

"Despite earlier concerns, we have been assured over the systems in place ensuring that maternity services will meet those needs going forward. We also understand the reasoning behind the decision to close maternity services at Yeovil and that the alternative pragmatic measures put in place ill serve expectant mothers until such as time as the provision can be reopened."