Several temporary closures of our Midwife Led Units (MLU) took place during December 2016.

The temporary closures were as follows:

  • Sunday 25 December 2016: Bridgnorth MLU and Shrewsbury MLU were both temporarily closed from 8pm until 8am.
  • Thursday 29 December 2016: Oswestry MLU was temporarily closed from 8pm until 8am.
  • Friday 31 December 2016: Ludlow MLU was temporarily closed from 8pm until 8am.

The closures were temporary due to short-term staffing issues and only related to the above dates and times.

All women from 37 weeks to 42 weeks pregnant who have chosen to give birth at these MLUs were contacted directly to inform them and offer them a different location to give birth. If any of these women had have had any complications overnight they would have been referred to our Delivery Suite in Telford, through our regular triage system which is always in place.

Sarah Jamieson, Head of Midwifery at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: “I would like to reassure people that no pregnant women were turned away from our service. During the temporary closures, women were offered alternative locations if they suspected they were in labour or referred to our Delivery Suite if they had any complications.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience these temporary closures may have caused.”