§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list the maternity units which are scheduled for closure in 1978;
(2) if he will list all the maternity units which have closed since 1976 with the reasons for their closure.
§ Mr. MoyleIn general, responsibility for determining the closure of health buildings rests with area health authorities, subject to the formal agreement of the community health council. I regret that information is not collected centrally in the form requested. However, in 1976 and 1977 formal decisions were taken under the consultation procedures to close the following whole maternity homes and hospitals:
- Castleford Maternity Home, Castleford, Yorks.
- Wirksworth Maternity Hospital, Derby.
- Sleaford Maternity Home, Sleaford, Lincs.
- Bushey Maternity Hospital, Bushey, Herts.
- Wanstead Maternity Unit, Wanstead Hospital, London E11.
- Princess Christian Maternity Home, Windsor, Berks.
- The Knoll Maternity Hospital, Clevedon.
- Devonport Maternity Home, Plymouth.
- Merthyr Guest Memorial Hospital, Templecombe, Somerset.
- Grantully Maternity Home, Hartlepool, Cleveland.
- Risedale Maternity Hospital, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria.
- Four Gables Maternity Home, Horsforth, Leeds.
- Eskdale Hospital, Whitby.
- Holbrook Maternity Home, Derby.
- Chapeltown Maternity Home, Sheffield.
- Ipswich Maternity Home, Ipswich, Suffolk.
- Princess Beatrice Hospital, Old Brompton Road, London S.W.5.
- Harlington, Harmondsworth and Cranford Cottage Hospital, Hayes, Middlesex.
223 - Albert Road Maternity Home. Burnham on Crouch, Essex.
- Plaistow Maternity Hospital, Plaistow, London.
- Bexley Maternity Hospital, Bexleyheath, Kent.
- Zachary Merton Maternity Hospital, Rusting-ton.
- Weir Maternity Hospital, London S.W.12.
- Bradford-on-Avon Maternity Hospital, Wilts.
- Devizes Maternity Hospital, Wilts.
- Rookwood Maternity Hospital, Eastleigh, Hants.
- Corby Maternity Unit, Corby, Northants.
- Old Tree Maternity Home, Launceston, Cornwall.
- Victoria Park Maternity Home, Warrington.
- Bootle Hospital Maternity Annexe, Bootle, Merseyside.
- Southfield Hospital, Altrincham, Manchester.
- Heaton Grange Maternity Home, Bolton.
- Haslam Maternity Home, Bolton.
- Rough Lees Maternity Home, Accrington, Lancs.
I regret that no information is available for 1978. The reasons for closure are complex and often interrelated, but maternity closures, as well as reflecting factors such as the opening of new facilities, the decline in the birth rate and the under
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Number of Obstetric Departments Number of General Practitioner Maternity Departments Northern Regional Health Authority Districts: Hartlepool … … 1 2 North Tees … … 1 1 South Tees … … 2 3 East Cumbria … … 2 4 South West Cumbria … … 1 2 West Cumbria … … 2 2 Darlington … … 1 — Durham … … 1 — North West Durham … … 1 — South West Durham … … 1 — Northumberland … … 2 5 Gateshead … … 2 1 Newcastle-upon-Tyne … … 2 1 North Tyneside … … 1 2 South Tyneside … … 1 1 Sunderland … … 2 — Yorkshire Regional Health Authority Districts: Hull … … 1 2 Beverley … … 2 3 Grimsby … … 1 1 Scunthorpe … … 2 2 Northallerton … … 1 — York … … 1 1 Scarborough … … 3 1 Harrogate … … 1 2 Bradford … … 4 1 Airedale … … 1 1 Calderdale … … 1 1 Huddersfield … … 2 1 Dewsbury … … 1 — Western Leeds … … 1 2 Eastern Leeds … … 2 — Western Wakefield … … 1 — Eastern Wakefield … … 1 1 occupancy of units, also reflect our policy that concentration of provision in properly equipped and staffed units is likely to lead to improved standards of care for mothers and their babies. Health authorities have been asked to save expenditure by identifying under-used and inefficient maternity units which may be closed where better alternative services exist.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hospital maternity units and general practitioner maternity units, respectively, there are in each health district.
§ Mr. MoyleThe information is not available in the form requested. Many general practitioner units are located in close proximity to consultant obstetric units with which they are often closely integrated. In 1976, the latest date for which figures are available, the numbers of obstetric departments and general practitioner maternity departments in each health district were as follows:
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Number of Obstetric Departments Number of General Practitioner Maternity Departments Trent Regional Health Authority Districts: Central Derbyshire … … 1 6 North Derbyshire … … 1 3 South Derbyshire … … 2 1 East Leicestershire … … 2 3 North West Leicestershire … … — 2 South West Leicestershire … … 1 1 Lincolnshire South … … 3 3 Lincolnshire North … … 1 3 Mansfield and Newark … … 1 2 Worksop and Retford … … 1 — North Nottingham … … 2 — South Nottingham … … 2 — Barnsley … … 1 1 Doncaster … … 1 1 Rotherham … … 3 1 Northern Sheffield … … 1 — Central Sheffield … … 1 — Southern Sheffield … … 1 1 East Anglian Regional Health Authority Districts: Cambridge … … 1 2 Peterborough … … 2 2 Norwich … … 1 3 Great Yarmouth and Waveney … … 1 2 King's Lynn … … 2 2 Bury St. Edmunds … … 3 2 Ipswich … … 1 4 North West Thames Regional Health Authority Districts: Northern Bedfordshire … … 1 1 Southern Bedfordshire … … 1 — North Hertfordshire … … 1 1 East Hertfordshire … … 2 — North West Hertfordshire … … 2 1 South West Hertfordshire … … 2 1 Bamet/Finchley … … 1 — Edgware/Hendon … … 2 — Brent … … 1 — Harrow … … 1 — Hounslow … … 1 — South Hammersmith … … 1 — North Hammersmith … … 1 — Ealing … … 1 — Hillingdon … … 1 1 North West Kensington/Chelsea/Westminster … … 2 — North East Kensinfton/Chelsea/Westminster … … 1 — South Kensington/Chelsea/Westminster … … 2 1 North East Thames Regional Health Authority Districts: Basildon and Thurrock … … 2 1 Chelmsford … … 1 3 Colchester … … 1 3 Harlow … … 3 1 Southend … … 1 — Barking … … 1 1 Havering … … 1 1 North Camden … … 1 — South Camden … … 2 — Islington … … 2 1 City and Hackney … … 3 — Newham … … 2 1 Tower Hamlets … … 2 — Enfield … … 2 1 Haringey … … 2 1 East Roding … … 2 2 WestRoding … … 2 —
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Number of Obstetric Departments Number of General Practitioner Maternity Departments South East Thames Regional Health Authority Districts: Brighton … … 1 — Eastbourne … … 2 2 Hastings … … 1 1 South East Kent … … 2 — Canterbury/Thanet … … 2 2 Dartford/Gravesham … … 2 1 Maidstone … … 1 1 Medway … … 3 — Tunbridge Wells … … 1 4 Bexley … … 1 2 Greenwich … … 4 — Bromley … … 3 — St. Thomas … … 2 — Kings … … 2 — Guys … … 1 — Lewisham … … 1 — South West Thumes Regional Health Authority Districts: North Surrey … … 1 — North West Surrey … … 1 1 West Surrey and North East Hants … … 1 1 South West Surrey … … 1 1 Mid-Surrey … … 1 1 East Surrey … … 2 3 Chichester … … 1 — Cuckfield and Crawley … … 2 2 Worthing … … 3 1 Croydon … … 2 — Kingston/Richmond … … 1 — Roehampton … … 1 — Wandsworth and East Merton … … 4 1 Sutton and West Merton … … 2 — Wessex Regional Health Authority Districts: East Dorset … … 2 3 West Dorset … … 2 2 Portsmouth and South East Hants … … 1 4 Southampton and South West Hants … … 1 5 Winchester … … 1 3 Basingstoke and North Hants … … 1 2 Salibury … … 1 1 Swindon … … 2 1 Bath … … 2 9 Isle of Wight … … 1 — Oxford Regional Health Authority Districts: East Berkshire … … 4 2 West Berkshire … … 1 4 Aylesbury … … 1 2 High Wycombe … … 3 3 Kettering … … 1 2 Northampton … … 1 2 Oxfordshire … … 2 8 South Western Regional Health Authority Districts: Bristol … … 1 1 Frenchay … … — 1 Southmead … … 1 2 Weston … … 1 1 Cornwall … … 1 4 Exeter and Mid Devon … … 1 5 North Devon … … 1 2 Plymouth … … 1 4 Torbay … … 2 4 Cheltenham … … 2 2 Gloucester … … 1 5 West Somerset … … 1 2 East Somerset … … 1 5
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Number of Obstetric Departments Number of General Practitioner Maternity Departments West Midlands Regional Health Authority Districts: Hereford … … 1 1 Bromsgrove and Redditch … … 1 1 Kidderminster … … — 2 Worcester … … 1 2 Salop … … 2 8 Mid Staffordshire … … 1 2 North Staffordshire … … 1 3 South East Staffordshire … … 3 1 North Warwickshire … … 1 1 Rugby … … 1 — South Warwickshire … … 2 2 Central Birmingham … … 1 1 East Birmingham … … — — North Birmingham … … 1 2 South Birmingham … … 2 — West Birmingham … … 2 — Coventry … … 1 1 Dudley … … 1 3 Sandwell … … 1 1 Solihull … … 2 2 Walsall … … 1 1 Wolverhampton … … 1 1 Mersey Regional Health Authority Districts: Chester … … 1 1 Crewe … … 1 2 Halton … … — 1 Macclesfield … … 1 2 Warrington … … 2 1 Central Southern Liverpool … … 2 — Eastern Liverpool … … 2 — St. Helens with Krowsley … … 1 — Northern Sefton … … 1 1 Southern Sefton … … 1 1 Northern Wirral … … 3 — Southern Wirral … … 1 1 North Western Regional Health Authority Districts: Lancaster … … 2 2 Blackpool … … 1 2 Preston … … 2 2 Blackburn … … 1 3 Burnley … … 2 — Ormskirk and Skelrnersdale … … 1 — Bolton … … 1 1 Bury … … 1 1 North Manchester … … 1 1 Central Manchester … … 1 — South Manchester … … 2 — Oldham … … 1 2 Rochdale … … 1 — Salford … … 1 — Stockport … … 1 1 Tameside … … 1 1 Trafford … … 2 1 Wigan … … 1 2 London Postgraduate Boards of Governors The Hospital for Sick Children … … — — National Hospital for Nervous Diseases … … — — Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital … … — — Moorfields Eye Hospital … … — — Maudsley Hospital … … — — St. John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin … … — — National Heart and Chest Hospitals … … — — Royal National Orthopaedic Hospitals … … — — St. Peter's Hospital Group … … — — Royal Marsden Hospital … … — — Queen Charlotte's Hospital for Women … … 1 — Eastman Dental … … — —