Maternity services at north Devon hospital remain suspended

Birthing services at a hospital in north Devon remain suspended following its latest “readiness assessment”.

The maternity unit at North Devon District Hospital has been closed since 11 August due to staffing problems, with expectant parents calling the situation a “nightmare”.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare Trust said it remained “committed to reopening birthing services at NDDH as soon as possible” and was continuing its efforts to “recruit both temporary and substantive staff”.

It noted while the temporary suspension continued “all current support arrangements remain in place”.

The suspension of the hospital, which serves north Devon and part of north-east Cornwall, has meant pregnant mothers in Barnstaple now face a 53-mile (85km) trip to Exeter to give birth.

The trust said it began planning for a potential temporary suspension to services in July due to serious staffing issues.

At the beginning of August, it said it had explored every option including securing locum cover and mutual aid support from partner organisations and concluded a temporary suspension was the best solution.

A provisional reopening date was initially set for 29 September, however, bosses later said the service was not in a position to reopen then.

In its latest update, external the hospital trust said it knew the continued suspension was “causing worry and uncertainty”.