Kent News - Campaign started to keep town's maternity services

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Friday, September 3 2010, 6:52

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Campaign started to keep town's maternity services

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Mr Carroll at his haulage film HQ

A campaigner has vowed to fight to keep maternity services at Maidstone Hospital.

Peter Carroll, the driving force behind the landmark Gurkha rights campaign, has now set his sights on keeping a full service for mums giving birth in the county town, Yourmaidstone reports.

If current plans go-ahead Maidstone's consultant-led maternity unit, inpatient services and special baby care unit will be relocated to the new multi-million pound Pembury Hospital when it opens in 2011.

The changes also include a new midwifery birthing centre being built at Maidstone Hospital, where women who are experiencing a low-risk labour can choose to go.

Mr Carroll, who became a national hero for the role he played alongside actress Joanna Lumley in the Gurkha Justice Campaign, is now calling for people to help him fight to keep the services at Maidstone.

He said: “I believe that the overwhelming majority of Maidstone people are against this decision. The consultation has been a sham and local people are rightly furious.

“There is strong statistical evidence that Maidstone needs a full maternity service and we will be making sure that the secretary of state sees this evidence.”

Mr Carroll’s campaign has already received backing from retired maternity consultant Alan Pentecost, who founded the maternity services at Maidstone in 1974.

Mr Pentecost said: “This decision is immoral. The midwife-led facility remaining at Maidstone will not be able to provide comprehensive pain relief and will not be able to react in the event of an emergency.

“Exposing women in labour to the difficult road journey from Maidstone to Pembury is both unkind and potentially dangerous.”

Mr Carroll, who is also the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and Weald, is urging people to join him outside Marks and Spencer, in Week Street, on Saturday at 11am, to launch the Full Maternity at Maidstone campaign.

He will also be writing to more than 20,000 women in Maidstone to ask them to write to the secretary of state to show their support for the campaign.

Mr Carroll, who runs a haulage firm in Larkfield, added: “I know from my experience of The Gurkha Justice Campaign that every single petition signature, email, letter really does count. I urge everyone who cares about maternity in Maidstone to get behind us.”

A Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust spokesman said: “We are working closely with MASH and many other campaigners, and interested organisations and individuals, to ensure that everyone properly understands the proposals as well as listening to their concerns.

“It is important to stress that the vast majority of women’s and children’s services will remain at Maidstone. These will include all existing outpatient services, antenatal and day case surgery plus a new midwifery led birthing unit.

“The changes being made in 2011 will raise standards of care for women and children considerably. Similar centres to the one planned at Pembury are already working over greater distances safely and successfully both locally and nationally.

“We recognise people’s concerns and are happy to discuss the proposals with Peter Carroll or anyone else.”

POSTED: 02/09/2009 09:00:00

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