Kent News - Pram push to show danger of losing maternity unit

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Friday, September 3 2010, 6:15

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Pram push to show danger of losing maternity unit

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Mrs Grant with her pram

Mr Carroll + Cllrs Daley and Wilson at the launch

Tory hopeful Helen Grant will push a pram from Maidstone to Pembury to highlight the dangers mums-to-be would face if the county town loses its maternity services.

If current plans go-ahead Maidstone Hospital’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, Yourmaidstone reports.

The changes will only leave Maidstone with a midwifery birthing centre, where women who are experiencing a low-risk labour can choose to go.

Mrs Grant, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Maidstone and Weald, will push the pram the 17 miles between the two hospitals on Sunday, September 27, to show how potentially dangerous it would be to travel that extra distance.

She said: “I am personally vehemently opposed to the downgrading of services at Maidstone Hospital, especially the loss of a full maternity service.

"A shift of this nature will inevitably lead to loss of life.

“As a mother-of-two myself I know the importance of having a full service hospital nearby and at the heart of the community.

"My first child came four weeks early, without warning, and there were complications.

“My husband and I were so grateful that our hospital was close enough and fully equipped to deal with the situation.”

Mrs Grant’s demonstration is the latest stage of a campaign to keep the consultant-led maternity unit at Maidstone Hospital, backed by Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital group (MASH).

MASH is an apolitical group, launched in July last year, with Mrs Grant as a founding member and a number of councillors and medical professionals, to ensure all services are kept at Maidstone Hospital.

Keeping the consultant-led maternity unit has been MASH’s main focus since March this year.

Mrs Grant added: “We have had constructive dialogue with the NHS trust executives about this vital issue but as negotiations continue we need to keep up the pressure and engage public support to get the message home loud and clear.

“Hopefully our Push Pram protect will help highlight the case.”

Mrs Grant will also be sending a petition to 25,000 homes during the next three weeks to drum-up support. The petition can also be downloaded and signed from her website, www.helengrant.org

The Tory hopeful will then deliver the petition to Secretary of State Andy Burnham and the chief executive of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Glenn Douglas.

Mrs Grant’s election rival, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Peter Carroll, has also launched a campaign to keep a full maternity unit at Maidstone Hospital, as reported by Yourmaidstone last week.

The official launch of his campaign in the town centre on Saturday attracted hundreds of concerned family members and the Lib Dem team secured more 600 signatures and have sent more than 500 signed letters to Mr Burnham.

Mr Carroll has welcomed his competitor’s campaign, saying: “We are all fighting for the same outcome, so the more campaigning and action taken the better.”

He was joined by Lib Dem councillors Dan Daley and Fran Wilson for the campaign launch.

Despite the urgent calls to stop the plans, the NHS trust maintain the changes will considerably improve the standards of care for women and children.

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