§ Mr. David Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the full complement of staff were working in the midwifery general practitioner unit at Basingstoke hospital and also at Alton maternity unit on average over the six months prior to current temporary closure; what factors enable the Hampshire area health authority to forecast that staff sickness will be over by 7th January; and what sort of sickness is involved which lasts from 20th October to 7th January.
§ Mr. Deakins:It is not possible to give the percentage requested for the Basingstoke GP unit because the staff complement is flexible, staff being interchanged 458W between the unit and other maternity wards according to the number of inpatients. The average percentage of staff in post for the six months prior to the closure of the Alton maternity unit was 85 per cent.
One member of staff of the Basingstoke unit is undergoing operative treatment and three others are on maternity leave. An additional factor is that some part-time staff will be away for school holidays over Christmas. Hampshire AHA(T) hopes that, by 7th January, sufficient staff will be on duty for the labour ward to be reopened. In the meantime, domiciliary midwives are still able to use the ward for deliveries.