DGH campaigners upset over birthing services suspended at Eastbourne hospital

The decision to suspend birthing services at Eastbourne DGH in light of the Covid pandemic has been criticised by the Save the DGH campaign group.
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The trust which runs the Kings Drive hospital announced last week that pregnant women will not be able to give birth there for the foreseeable future.

Homebirth services in the town have also been temporarily suspended. Instead all births will take place in the maternity unit at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings.

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The Save the DGH campaign, which continues to press for full maternity services to be reinstated at Eastbourne instead of just a mid-wife led unit, said it was appalled at the suspension.

Chair Liz Walke said, “The decision to suspend home births and births at Eastbourne’s stand alone midwife led unit is a slap in the face for all the midwives who have worked so hard to provide these services.

“If we still had full maternity services, pregnant women from Eastbourne, Hailsham, Polegate, and many other surrounding towns and villages would still be able to give birth at the DGH.

“This situation proves how much we need full maternity and paediatric services back at Eastbourne DGH so this will not keep happening.”

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A trust spokesperson said, “Across Sussex, NHS trusts including ESHT have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend homebirth services and births at stand-alone midwifery units – including our unit at Eastbourne hospital.

“We have made this decision because the increasing cases of Covid-19 locally have put our local ambulance service under significant pressure and they cannot guarantee a timely response to calls for an ambulance transfer in an emergency.

“This includes attending home addresses for complications that can arise during home births, and attending for complications that can arise at stand-alone midwife led units where there may need to be a transfer to another maternity unit. This means that giving birth at home or at a stand-alone midwife presents a higher degree of risk.”