Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, has said he is ‘disappointed’ that no public meetings have been planned in Mid Wales to discuss the review into maternity services in Shropshire and Telford.
Mr George has spoken out following details that have been made public by NHS Shropshire and NHS Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups that public group discussions will take place in several locations over the border in September but none in Powys.
While the two commissioning groups are working together to lead a review on maternity services provided locally in England, their facilities are used by hundreds of expectant mothers in east Montgomeryshire every year and as a consequence, Mr George believes their voices ‘must be heard’.
The AM has previously raised concerns with Welsh ministers about the challenges that exist in delivering maternity services in rural Wales and in particular, how reliant expectant mothers in Montgomeryshire were on emergency treatment from hospitals in England.
Commenting, Mr George said:
“While I welcome this clinical review to explore ways to improve service delivery, I do not believe these two commissioning groups can ignore the views of residents in Powys who would also be affected by any proposed changes.
“Maternity services in Powys are unique as it has one of the highest levels of home births anywhere in the UK. However, the simple fact of the matter is that for elective, complex or emergency treatment, we rely heavily on the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
“That is why I have real concerns regarding any reconfiguration of services in those areas without the wider engagement of the residents of north Powys.
“I believe public meetings need to be held in Montgomeryshire and I have written to both commissioning groups making that request because I believe the voices of women in Mid Wales must be heard.”