No break in Lagan maternity care

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The health minister has given his assurances that the Lagan Valley Hospital will retain its maternity service.

Michael McGimpsey said the consultant-led service would change to midwifery-led unit before the end of next year in a Stormont debate on Tuesday.

Mr McGimpsey said the changeover would not mean a break in maternity services for expectant mothers.

Breda Hughes, from the Royal College of Midwives, welcomed the assurance.

"It's a huge relief, that there will be a seamless move from consultant to midwife led services," she said.

"We've seen it happen before in Downpatrick where there was a break and the women were left for five years with nothing at all."

Pregnancy

Ms Hughes also said women in the area should be reassured that to facilitate the change, capacity has been increased in both the Royal and Craigavon hospitals.

"Recently there has been a move to concentrate specialised services in a concentrated area.

"A midwife led service won't be able to provide high-tech treatment but in low risk preganacies it means that women are able to have their babies closer to home," Ms Hughes added.

"I would like to reassure those women that do need high-tech services that they can receive all their care throughout their pregnancy at the Lagan Valley, so they only need to travel to another hospital for the actual delivery."

There had been proposals to close the unit as part of a package of cost cutting measures.

But in 2009 it was announced that a community midwifery unit, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, would be established.

Deliveries which need surgical skills would no longer be carried out at the hospital but it would still cater for antenatal and postnatal services for all local women.

Lagan Valley's maternity unit has delivered about 1,200 babies annually.

Mr McGimpsey said a midwifery unit would be likely to manage up to 500 births every year.