HEALTH chiefs have pledged that overnight closures of maternity units in Shropshire including in Ludlow are temporary measures caused by staff shortages.

Jo Banks, women and children’s care group director at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said she wanted to reassure pregnant women and the wider community, that there were no hidden motives behind the recent closures.

Concern has been expressed publicly that the closures have been related to more than just staffing, leading to speculation about the future of the midwife led maternity units.

“Similar to other parts of the trust, we continue to experience high levels of demand for our maternity services, and have also experienced unexpected staffing issues, mainly caused by illnesses, similar to those experienced by the public in recent weeks,” said Jo Banks.

“This has impacted on our ability to provide a full range of services.

“During these times we follow our policies and procedures to take action to ensure the continued safety of the service for women in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales.

“Unfortunately in recent weeks this has meant that on occasions we have had to temporarily suspend inpatient overnight; whilst maintaining community care and home deliveries. This is nothing new. We have had to do this in the past at times of high demand for our services and staff issues, such as illness.

“We never take such decisions lightly and we review all risks to ensure the safety of the women using the service. I’d like to apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”

“I’d also like to reiterate that there is nothing more to it other than staff illness and high demand within our consultant-led unit.”

The closures, from 8pm until 8am, affected the unit in Ludlow on December 31 and January 5.