Changes being made to maternity service at Scarborough Hospital

Women will still be able to have a midwifery-led birth in Scarborough Hospital as all of the maternity services currently offered will continue to be available.

Patrick Crowley, Chief Executive of York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The low numbers of women using the unit mean that having a standalone facility is unaffordable in the challenging financial circumstances we face.

“Moving the two units into one place means that we can continue to provide a full range of maternity services for women in Scarborough, but in a way that makes these services more sustainable for the future.

“We will be doing some refurbishment work in the maternity unit to introduce the MLU environment in our low-risk birth room.”

Maternity services have been reviewed as part of the Ambition for Health programme for Scarborough, Ryedale, Bridlington and Filey. The changes at Scarborough Hospital will come into effect from April 1.

Simon Cox, NHS Scarborough and Ryedale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Chief Officer, said: “Providing quality services locally, safely and within budget is a key aspect of the Ambition for Health programme.

“We have to seek new and alternative ways to provide services with reduced funding, yet be just as effective in terms of health outcomes for local people.

“These changes will mean women will still have access to the full range of maternity services in Scarborough, but in a way which is more sustainable and helps protect core services at the hospital.”