Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, continues to work with the Friends of Crowborough Hospital and fight for the reopening of Crowborough Birthing Centre.
In January, Nusrat convened a meeting the Chief Executives of the Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells Trust, NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS Surrey Heartlands & NHS Sussex ICB. At the meeting, Nusrat demanded answers as to how will the data that was collected be used as part of the assessment for reopening and requested more information about the timelines for assessments and decision-making.
It was confirmed that the temporary closure is in place until May and there was no specific timeline for a decision about the centre’s reopening. In the meantime, both NHS Kent and Medway ICB and NHS Sussex ICB are conducting strategic review of their services across the area, including maternity services and it is expected that the initial analysis of these services will be completed by July.
In the meantime, the campaign continues and Nusrat has been making representations in Parliament and supported a letter to Baroness Amos who is conducting a review of maternity services to bring the situation at Crowborough Birthing Centre urgently to her attention. Amongst other concerns, the letter champions local midwifes and highlights how the Centre has been providing a safe, midwife-led environment for low-risk births, helping to relieve pressure on nearby hospitals and providing a best-in-class holistic care, which is in line with Government guidelines.
Nusrat’s petition has over 4,000 signatures. If you’d like to support the campaign, you can sign it here: www.nusghani.org.uk/birthingcentre.
Nusrat Ghani said: “I am grateful to everyone who has signed my petition. I absolutely recognise the strength of support for the centre and every signature is helping me showcase to the NHS Trusts and decision makers that it is a key community asset, which would be used much more if it weren’t disrupted by ongoing closures. The data collected provides substantial evidence in support of resuming and continuing midwifery-led births in Crowborough. Local mums who deserve the option of midwifery-led birth here in Crowborough and I will continue supporting The Friends of Crowborough Hospital and raising the matter in Parliament. I am pleased that Crowborough’s case is being brought to Baroness Amos’ attention and I will continue advocating for it to get the recognition within the wider national conversation about the future of maternity services.”
