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No more 24-hour maternity for Braintree

8:10am Wednesday 10th November 2010 in News

A maternity unit will no longer open 24 hours a day and mothers will be expected to go home within four hours of giving birth.

The changes are part of plans to move maternity services from William Julien Courtauld Hospital in Braintree to the town’s St Michael’s Hospital next April.

Health trust NHS Mid Essex has published a consultation paper, which claims services will be continued and improved.

Ante-natal and post-natal clinics will continue, along with parent education classes.

There will also be two new ensuite birthing units and two birthing pools.

Public discussions will be held at Carousel Children’s Centre, Chapel Hill, Braintree, tomorrow, next Thursday and November 25 from 9.30am to 11am. They will also be held on December 6 and 20 from 1pm to 2.30pm.

Witham residents can attend a discussion at Witham Public Hall, Collingwood Road, on November 29 from 12.30pm to 2pm.

And there is one at Acorn Children’s Centre, Holy Trinity School, Beridge Road, Halstead, on December 7 from 1pm to 2.30pm.

Register to attend online at www.midessex.nhs.uk/maternity or call 01245 459473.

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Comments(1)

montygirl says...
2:41pm Wed 10 Nov 10

St Johns would not have coped without St Peters or WJC as they are overrun all the time.What a rubbish idea, they cant even open the new maternity hopsital on time so how will services be improved by cutting back on a vital serrvice.Some people do not want to go somewhere that is huge and impersonal to have their babies.And first time mums want to stay in that bit longer to get to grips with things.My sister gave birth in London to her 1st child and was disharged within a few hours.She then ended up back in hospital for over a week as my niece became poorly after 36 hours and turned blue and almost stopped breathing.She also herself got an infection which is what happens when they discharge people too quickly whether the midwife comes to your home to check on you. or not.So knock yourselves out Mid essex and see the long term costs rocket with re admissions where people get nervous or poorly because they are discharged too soon and are readmitted or call the midwife out more frequently to home because they find it hard with feeding or infections which do not manifest themselves until after they have been discharged.

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