The Royal Free Hospital

MIDWIVES and nurses have been given the bombshell news that the Royal Free Hospital’s maternity unit – the birthplace of thousands of our readers – is facing closure.

Health chiefs have recommended no more babies are born in the Pond Street hospital as part of proposals for a major reorganisation across north London.

A staffing crisis in the NHS – caused by low wages and the extortionate rent levels – has led to an “unsustainable” situation, they said in a press briefing about the plans attended by two newspapers, the New Journal and the Enfield Dispatch, on Tuesday morning.

Camden’s plunging birthrate – another symptom of the cost of living crisis and the astronomical costs of family-sized homes – is also claimed to be a contributing factor. When contacted by the New Journal this week, staff said – on condition of anonymity – that they were stunned that such a prestigious institution could lose its maternity unit.

A staff source said: “Maternity is such a massive part of a hospital. It will have a big impact on the feel of the place. And you have to wonder, what is going to be next?” Another staff member suggested the plans were simply more “cost-cutting” from cash-strapped NHS managers.

Privately, top doctors in the department on the fifth floor at the Royal Free are said to be furious and intent on preparing a strong response to a consultation, due to be launched next week.

There have been questions about what would happen with mothers having “unexpected births” in Camden and surrounding areas without the expertise of the labour wards close by. The Royal College of Midwives was alerted to the proposal by the New Journal this week.

The North Central London Integrated Care Board – a group of senior health chiefs who decide how hundreds of millions of Camden’s NHS funding is spent – publicly unveiled details of its “Start Well” programme yesterday (Wednesday). They stress the proposals – which amount to removing one of the five hospital maternity units in north London – will have to go out for consultation before being approved by the board.

While the Royal Free is the one in the firing line, an alternative plan would be for the maternity unit at the Whittington Hospital in Archway to be axed. Officials say the plans have been backed up by two years of work and more than 500 interviews.

But critics familiar with the decision-making pro­cess in the NHS have suggested this week’s announcement and the process that will follow is a fait accompli and means the preferred “option”, to close the Royal Free maternity unit and its attached specialist neonatal unit, is almost certain to happen.

This week’s CNJ front page

The second option of swinging the axe at the Whittington would not make financial sense as part of it has recently been refurbished with a modern neonatal service, according to health chiefs.

Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn Tulip Siddiq, whose children were born in the Free, said “it would be a tragedy to lose such an important service” and it had a special place in her heart.

She added: “I’m very concerned about the suggestion that our local maternity unit could be closed, given the number of local residents who I know rely on it and some of the transport difficulties in reaching other north London hospitals with maternity services.

“The consultation on proposed changes has yet to begin, but I will be making it clear now and throughout any consultation process that there must not be any downgrading of services available to people in Hampstead and Kilburn.”

Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq

The spotlight has been fixed on the Royal Free’s maternity unit since 2020, following the death of a Malyun Kamara, a mother whose life “would have been saved” had a doctor acted on warnings from a midwife, according to the St Pancras coroner. The service was rated “inadequate” and then upgraded one rung to “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission which said “nurse vacancy rates and turnover rates were significantly higher than trust targets and services relied on temporary staff to fill shifts”.

Hospitals across the country are struggling to maintain “safe staffing levels” because of the vacancy rates, with agency staff spending at an unprecedented high. The CQC watchdog inspected the service for a third time earlier this year, reporting “serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents”, adding: “We were also concerned about the culture within the service.”

NCL said that the number of babies born in the Royal Free has been falling by around 12 per cent each year since 2018/19. The falling birthrate is having a knock-on effect on schools, which are struggling to fill admission rolls. Meanwhile, University College Hospital – one of London’s most popular maternity units – remains “overstretched”.

At the north London media briefing on Tuesday, Jo Sauvage, the chief medical officer at NCL, said the changes had to be made because maternity services were not “sustainable”. In a statement, she added: “Fewer babies are being born in North Central London and more complex care is often needed during pregnancy and birth, and we need to adapt our services to that.”

A Royal Free London spokesperson said:“The Royal Free London has been working alongside healthcare partners to ensure that residents continue to receive the highest quality care when they use maternity, neonatal and children’s surgical services. “No decisions have been taken but, should the integrated care board decide to proceed to public  consultation, we would encourage everyone, particularly local residents  and staff, to share their views.”