Hospital pauses baby delivery due to staffing
GoogleStaffing absences have led to a three-month pause in the delivery of babies at a hospital.
The midwife-led maternity unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool became fully operational in November 2020, taking bookings for women considered to be "low risk."
However, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said it had to temporarily halt "intrapartum care" at the site - which is the period from the start of labour until delivery.
The trust said it would continue to support the "low number of women impacted" and antenatal, home births and postnatal care would "continue as normal".
The trust said mothers-to-be would be sent to its sister site at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton.
A spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "This temporary measure is in response to some staffing absences the department has over this time - meaning we will not be able to run the continuity of carer service."
The continuity of carer initiative ensures women receive dedicated support from the same midwifery team throughout their pregnancy, including the birth.
Councillors at the latest authority-wide Hartlepool Borough Council meeting stressed it was a situation they wanted to see resolved "as quickly as possible".
'More pressure'
Glen Hughes, of campaign group Fighting 4 Hartlepool Hospital, said a fully functioning maternity facility "was needed" to support the "growing" borough, and the pause would negatively impact families.
Mr Hughes said he believed it would put "more pressure" on services in Stockton.
"I think a lot of mothers-to-be will be extremely stressed knowing they can't have a normal midwifery-led birth at Hartlepool," he said.
The trust spokesperson said: "We have worked with the low number of women impacted by this who will all continue to be supported by our experienced midwifery team throughout their pregnancy journey.
"Since the return of the unit to Hartlepool in 2020, our teams have worked with great success with local women and families and we look to the return of the service very soon."