Half of London’s maternity units are facing closure

The number of London hospitals with maternity units could be almost halved to concentrate specialist care on fewer larger sites.

It follows the deaths in childbirth of 73 women in three years. Health chiefs want midwives to have fewer pregnant women under their care and for consultant obstetricians to be available 24/7 to handle the rise in more complex births.

Experts say this is likely to lead to the closure of many of the 26 hospital maternity units across the capital

London has had the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, though the number of deaths has fallen from 31 in 2010/11 to 23 in 2011/12 and 19 in the last financial year.

But as the growth in population is likely to see 135,000 births this year, NHS England’s London region has imposed new standards for the care of pregnant women.

It wants all hospitals to have 24-hour consultant cover, for each midwife responsible for no more than 28 births and for one-to-one midwife care during “active” labour. At present only six hospitals have obstetricians available round the clock while only four — the Whittington, Lewisham, King’s College and St Thomas’ — meet the 1:28 midwife to mum-to-be ratio.

Angela Helleur, assistant medical director NHS England (London), said there was an “unacceptable level of variation in maternity services” across the capital. Not one hospital met all of the new standards of care.

Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, director of midwifery and nursing at Imperial College trust, drew up the new standards with Jane Wilson, consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist at Kingston hospital.

Professor Dunkley-Bent said: “Maternity services in London are seeing more complex cases and the introduction of these new standards will help to ensure that women receive high quality and safe care regardless of the time of day, day of the week or place of birth.”