Special Care Unit at Yeovil Hospital closes temporally
Due to important changed needing to be carried out
Concerns about the safety of the care for babies and children at YDH mean that the trust cannot currently safely run the SCBU and safely provide care during labour and birth at the Yeovil Maternity Unit.
Dr Melanie Iles, Chief Medical Officer for the trust, said:
“This is a very difficult decision that we have not taken lightly. We have made it after careful consideration, and a clinical assessment of those services, in discussion with NHS partners. I want to personally say sorry to local people who are affected by these temporary closures.”
“These temporary closures have come about as a result of concerns about our care for babies and children at YDH. The Care Quality Commission inspected our paediatric services in January and issued a Section 29A warning notice because it assessed that the paediatric care we provide at YDH requires significant improvement. We also currently have high levels of sickness amongst senior paediatricians which has caused big gaps in our rota.
“Senior paediatricians from Musgrove Park Hospital are supporting the service at YDH, to ensure that paediatric inpatient and outpatient services at YDH are open for those who need them. However, we are not able to support the SCBU in the same way and therefore we must close it temporarily on safety grounds.
This directly impacts on the YDH inpatient maternity service because we cannot care for any newborns who require care in a Special Care Baby Unit or safely provide care during labour and birth at the Yeovil Maternity Unit.
“Most services remain open, and we are working with neighbouring NHS trusts and the Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership to ensure that pregnant women, birthing people and their newborn babies receive the care and support they need.”
“We are committed to providing safe, high quality and sustainable services for those who need them, but we must address these concerns and need the time and space to do this. I apologise again to anyone who is affected by these changes.”
The following services are open and unchanged:
Outpatient clinics for pregnant mothers such as obstetric and midwifery antenatal clinics, scanning, antenatal screening services and home births will continue at Yeovil Hospital as normal.
Inpatient and outpatient paediatric services at YDH are open and there for those who need them.
Changes to services from 5pm on Monday 19 May that will affect pregnant women, birthing people and newborn babies:
The care of pregnant women and birthing people will be transferred to give birth at Musgrove Park Hospital or the maternity units at Dorchester or Bath.
The trust is working with the Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership and neighbouring NHS trusts to ensure pregnant women and newborn babies have access to the care they need.
Please speak to your midwife or the Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership if you have questions or concerns.
NHS Somerset have set up a helpline to answer queries or questions. Please call: 0300 303 6409.
More information is also available on our Somerset NHS Foundation Trust website.