The Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG) is considering proposals for the future of delivery suites at James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn. These proposals could involve moving all births to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.
NWUHG stated that both hospitals deliver fewer than 2,000 births annually, which means some trainee midwives are not able to gain the necessary experience for assessment. However, mothers have voiced concerns, with one describing the prospect of an hour's journey in labour as "terrifying" and a "matter of life and death".
Gemma Kerridge, a mother-of-three from Lowestoft, said she might have given birth in the car if she had needed to travel to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, which is at least an hour's drive from Lowestoft. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) shares the view that the trust should invest in and improve current services at James Paget Hospital, rather than allowing them to "shrink".
NWUHG has outlined its proposal but stressed that no decisions have been made and no consultation has begun. The Department of Health and Social Care indicated that any move to concentrate services would aim to provide safer care for women and babies.