Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Maternity Services

Tuesday 14 June 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • NHS England is investing 127 million in the next year for maternity workforce.
  • South Tyneside District Hospital's maternity unit closed due to staffing pressures during the omicron variant.
  • Hospital had to make the difficult decision despite opposition to the changes.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
NHS
Context

NHS England is investing £127 million in the next year towards maternity systems, on top of previously promised funding for midwife and obstetrician recruitment.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the availability of maternity services?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

NHS England is making £127 million of investment in maternity systems in the next year to go specifically towards the workforce. This is on top of the £95 million already promised for the recruitment of 1,200 midwives and 100 more consultant obstetricians.

Answered
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Q2 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
NHS
Context

In 2019, the South Tyneside District Hospital's award-winning maternity unit was changed to a midwife-led birthing centre and then closed since January. A whistleblower has explained that staff and expectant mothers are being kept in the dark about staffing levels and bed capacity.

Question

South Tyneside District Hospital's maternity unit was award winning. In 2019, despite widespread opposition, it changed to a midwife-led birthing centre. It has since been closed, since January. Recently, a whistleblower explained that midwives and expectant mums are being kept in the dark about the future of the unit, staffing levels and bed capacity across the trust. These changes are a direct result of this Government's forced cuts, so what is the Minister going to do to make sure that babies can be born in south Tyneside?

Answer from Maria Caulfield

I have just been very clear that we are investing about £200 million in that workforce. In the hon. Lady's area, there were staffing pressures during the omicron variant, with high levels of staff sickness, which meant that South Tyneside District Hospital had to make that difficult decision. My understanding is that those staffing numbers are much better, particularly for sickness absence. If she is struggling to find out from the trust when it hopes to reopen the unit, I am very happy to meet her and members of the trust.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding actions to ensure babies can be born in South Tyneside was not directly addressed.

How: Working With Partners

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