Two hospitals at risk of losing maternity units

Two hospitals could lose their maternity units under proposals being considered by the NHS trust that runs them.

The Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group said it was considering closing delivery suites at either the James Paget University Hospital or the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, or moving all births to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

Rachael Cocker, the trust's chief nurse, said the number of births across the three hospitals was expected to fall by between 9% and 13% by 2031/32.

The proposals were presented at an extraordinary meeting earlier and the trust's leaders said no decisions had been taken and the public would be consulted before any changes were made.

Cocker said the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn were among 12 hospitals in England delivering fewer than 2,000 births a year.

She added that, on average, the hospitals could be delivering four babies a day, with as few as one birth a day not requiring medical intervention.

She said some midwives had needed extended training because there were not enough births for them to gain the experience required for assessment.

"It's a huge topic. It's immensely sensitive," she said.

Cocker said maintaining three delivery suites across the sites would not resolve all the challenges associated with low birth numbers.

She said reducing the number of units to two would mean some women travelling further, while a single-site model would provide the greatest concentration of specialist expertise but create significant travel challenges.

She said factors including travel times, deprivation and support would need to be considered as part of any future consultation.

Arrangements around neonatal and children's services would also need further discussion, the meeting heard.

If the delivery suite at the James Paget Hospital was closed, women living in places such as Lowestoft, north Suffolk, would have to travel into Norfolk instead of Ipswich to give birth.

Similarly if delivery services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital closed it could affect pregnant woman in parts of Fenland and Lincolnshire, who may have to travel to Peterborough or Huntingdon to give birth.

The trust said its review would also include options for changes to some surgical services.

Under the proposals, emergency surgery at the James Paget University Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital could move to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital overnight.

More complex planned surgery could also be concentrated at a single site, the trust added.

Rob Sherwin, the trust's chief medical officer, said about 11 patients a day from each of the smaller hospitals could be transferred elsewhere for treatment.

He said the trust remained committed to maintaining 24-hour emergency care, acute medicine, paediatric services and critical care at all three hospitals.

The trust said taking no action could leave the group facing a £53m deficit by 2034/35.

Lesley Dwyer, the trust's chief executive, said the review was one of the most significant pieces of work undertaken by the organisation and was aimed at making services sustainable in the long-term.

She said reducing maternity services to two sites could save between £6m and £8m a year, while moving to a single maternity unit could save about £18m, although some of the savings would need to be reinvested in other services.

She added: "What works for someone living in Norwich may be very different from what works for someone in rural west Norfolk, a coastal community or one of the neighbouring areas served by our hospitals. Those differences matter."

The proposals will now be considered by the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board.

If approved for further development, the proposals will also be scrutinised by the Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee before a public consultation is launched.

The trust is expected to respond to that consultation in February 2027.

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