Tories claim maternity units turn away women in labour

Two women each day were sent to other hospitals because maternity units were over full or short staffed, according to data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Nearly half of 129 NHS trusts which provided information closed their units at least once in 2009.

Fourteen closed units more than 10 times including the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust which runs services in Pontefract, Wakefield and Dewsbury.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "It is a shocking situation that mothers are being turned away from their local hospital and are forced to travel great distances under stressful circumstances.

"A Conservative government would halt Labour's forced maternity unit closures, ensure that the number of midwives is increased and enable mothers to have safe access to the local services they need."

A Labour Party spokesman accused Mr Lansley of putting "politics before principle" in calling for a halt to maternity unit closures.

"The Conservatives' proposals for a moratorium on any and all changes to maternity services would prevent the NHS from expanding provision for mothers and would block vital changes that will save lives," he added.

Tracey McErlain-Burns, chief nurse at Mid Yorkshire, said: "As with all maternity services, there are times when all our midwives and delivery rooms are busy with mums and in the professional opinion of the midwives and obstetricians on duty at that time, the service has been temporarily closed.

"Like many other hospitals, we experienced a shortage of midwives and maternity staff in 2009. Since then we have recruited a significant number of additional midwives."

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said some units closed for safety reasons after unexpected peaks in demand but others operated at or near capacity and struggled to cope.

"It is deeply disappointing when any woman is turned away from the unit where she had planned to give birth. However, the key issue is the safety of the woman and her baby, and of the other women already on the unit.

"If they are unable to cope with new arrivals, for whatever reason, and safety could be compromised, then it is the right thing to do, in that situation, to refer women to another unit. The key issue here is to get to the cause of the closure.

"If this is because local health trusts are not investing in services and midwives to meet that rising demand, then it needs addressing urgently," she said. "The Government is putting more money into maternity services and are delivering on their promises of more midwives."