I’ve recently been campaigning to save maternity services at the Royal Free Hospital following the announcement from the NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board that it will close. This serves as a devastating blow for communities across the capital. The fantastic maternity services staff at the Royal Free are particularly close to my heart. Both of my daughters were born there, with my eldest receiving vital care from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Reducing our maternity service will have a detrimental impact on young mothers and families living in the North and North West London areas especially with Northwick Park already stretched to capacity. That’s why, just over a year ago, I wrote to the Royal Free to and called on them to rethink their proposals. I’m particularly worried about the impact this decision could have on ethnic minority communities. According to Pregnant then Screwed’s survey, 77 per cent of Black and brown women reported feeling safe giving birth, lower than the overall figure of 84 per cent. A survey by the London Assembly Health Committee under my Chairmanship also highlighted that patients in London felt they were not being listened to or were spoken to in a different way compared to white patients using the same services. During its evidence gathering, Dr Suzanne Tyler told the Health Committee that when training maternity staff, ‘White’ is taken as the normal, though work is under way to correct this.
Under the Mayor of London’s six tests framework, major health service changes must meet strict conditions to ensure they are in the best interests of Londoners. As part of this process, the Mayor commissioned the Nuffield Trust to assess the proposal to close the maternity unit. The independent review highlighted significant concerns, especially regarding the impact on communities facing health inequalities.
I have been asking the North Central London Integrated Care Board to look more closely at the independent review which has raised serious unanswered questions, particularly about the impact on ethnic minority communities. I have also written to the North West London Integrated Care Board about whether they would be able to accommodate the increased demand on their services as a result of this decision.
I urge the NCL Board to pause this decision and address these concerns before proceeding. I’ll continue to work tirelessly for the maternity unit to remain open.
