Tulip Siddiq raises the issue in the House of Commons

THE government has been put on notice about the closure of the Royal Free maternity unit. Tulip Siddiq MP told a debate in the House of Commons the threatened unit had specialised care services available for pregnant women with HIV and pregnant women with diabetes.

It is also the only unit in the north central London area providing round-the-clock radiology services. Ms Siddiq’s office organised a street stall about the “Start Well” proposals from the NHS in South End Green over the weekend.

On Tuesday, she told the health minister Maria Caulfield MP: “The maternity unit at the Royal Free is facing closure. Last week I met with doctors who told me that RF is uniquely placed to help mothers with diabetes, pregnant women with HIV and mothers who require interventional urology. The Royal Free is the only local provider that offers this life-changing treatment 24 hours a day seven days a week.

“Does the minister agree with me that the maternity unit of the Royal Free Hospital has to stay open for the sake of these vulnerable groups of women?”

In its consultation, North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB) said the Royal Free unit would be shut down as part of an overhaul of maternity services that included a £40million investment to modernise existing services. Its second option was to shut the Whittington maternity unit instead of the Free.

The health minister said: “This is a public consultation running for 14 weeks that will close on the March 14. It’s crucial we keep expertise in our maternity services. The proposals outline plans for £40million significant additional investment into the maternity services. Those decisions are for the ICB and the local trust. The deadline is the March 17.”

Last month, the New Journal reported on an unprecedented alliance of consultants at the Royal Free who had written to NCL with a warning that lives would be lost if the changes were pushed through.

The leaked letter – signed by more than 50 consultants and a group of specialist midwives – raised “significant concerns” that the proposals are “sidelining the welfare of women” and putting lives at risk. It said the unit had for 30 years been a pioneer of care for high-risk pregnancies – managing 1,703 births in the past five years in this category.

The “Start Well” consultation was launched by the North Central London Integrated Care Board – the unelected body responsible for how NHS funding is spent in Camden – in November.

Labour leader and Holborn and St Pancras MP Keir Starmer, in an interview with the New Journal, suggested the closure plan was rooted in housing. Camden’s birthrate has been dropping steadily in recent years as families move outside of London to find decent-sized homes and affordable rents. This exodus has led to the closure of historic primaries, which can no longer attract enough pupils to keep the school financially viable.

An NCL spokesman said: “Our proposals are designed to improve the quality and accessibility of maternity and neonatal services in North Central London to give every child the best start in life and improve parents’ experiences.

“We are committed to significant investment to modernise our facilities irrespective of which site is selected. “The consultation remains open until 17 March. We encourage staff, patients and local people to continue to share their views with us.”