NORTH Cornwall’s MP has written.a letter to the Secretary of State calling for more to be done to reopen maternity services at North Devon District Hospital.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust announced that from August 11, there would be insufficient consultant and medical cover to safely maintain births.

It projected that the hospital’s maternity unit would be short of consultants by up to 50 per cent compared to usual and with 40 per cent less tier two doctors, a figure which includes existing locum and substantive staff.

The hospital’s management cited several reasons why there was enough doctors to safely staff the unit, including staff leaving the hospital, staff maternity leave, staff sickness absence and short notice locum unavailability.

Now, Ben Maguire. MP for North Cornwall, alongside Ian Roome, MP for North Devon, has written to Secretary of State to organise an urgent meeting to discuss the situation

In the letter they write: “North Devon District Hospital is the most remote acute hospital in mainland England and serves a large, predominantly rural catchment, with patients travelling as far afield as Lynton in North Devon, and Bude in North Cornwall. That makes the suspension of births particularly serious.

“Women are now being asked to travel significantly further for maternity care, with many facing journeys of around two hours to Exeter, Plymouth, Taunton, or Truro. Put plainly: in an area where distance and journey times can be critical in an emergency, this is putting the lives of both mothers and babies at risk.

“We fully recognise that maternity services cannot operate without safe staffing. But the government must now urgently consider how this national workforce problem is affecting one of the country's most geographically isolated communities, and what support can be provided to help recruit and retain staff and restore births at North DDH as quickly and safely as possible.

“The suspension has rightly attracted significant attention, with many expectant mothers in our constituencies now very worried for their safety and that of their unborn babies. We are therefore very concerned about the wider implications this closure will have on maternity patient outcomes and families' mental health.

“Since the announcement, I have joined expectant mothers protesting the suspension and raised the issue directly with NHS England and a number of women's health organisations, urging them to use their networks and influence to support a resolution. The petition I launched now has nearly 15,000 signatures.

“For expectant families across Northern Devon and Cornwall, who rely on North Devon District Hospital, this is a matter of grave concern. We are hearing of families now having to relocate to ensure they can have access to a safe birth. Many no longer have confidence that local maternity care will be available when they need it.

“We are therefore writing to request an urgent meeting to discuss what support can be offered to ensure that North Devon District Hospital's maternity services and the communities who depend upon it.”