Salford mothers are having to “travel for miles” to give birth after the closure of the city’s maternity service, Rebecca Long-Bailey has said.
Salford’s Ingleside birth unit has not been in operation since January 2022 due to staffing issues at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust which runs the facility.
The site was opened after maternity services were scrapped at Salford Royal Hospital in 2017, leaving the city without a place for mothers to give birth.
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Labour’s candidate for Salford, Rebecca Long-Bailey, said the situation has left mothers having to trek long distances to give birth.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It’s staggering that Salford doesn’t have support from the regional NHS to provide its own maternity facilities.
“Mothers across Salford have to travel for miles to get access to these services, it’s unacceptable.
“It’s hugely difficult for parents because not every family has a car. If you need to travel all the way to Bolton it creates more costs – at a time when people are really struggling.”
The journey from central Salford to Royal Bolton Hospital on public transport could take more than an hour according to Google Maps, a situation which some mothers in the city are facing.
A Salford council report this week stated that there is currently no date for the reopening of the birth unit at Ingleside due to ‘ongoing staffing and service pressures.’
It added: ‘Alternative models of care are being considered by all collaborative providers but as of yet no definitive plans have been confirmed.’
Despite the lack of a working birth centre, prenatal and postnatal work is taking place at Ingleside.
And Salford council agreed this week to renew Bolton NHS Foundation Trust’s lease at the building for a further five years.
This will see some of the space at the site used to create more GP appointments for residents in the area.
But Salford mayor Paul Dennett, who leads the city council, said the situation is “deeply concerning.”
He told the LDRS: “Salford Labour Party are determined to make sure Salford mothers and families can have babies born in Salford again and will be working with partners to make sure this happens as soon as is practicable.
“Despite significant national government attention to maternity and neonatal services over recent times, it really is deeply concerning that we find ourselves in this current predicament.”
Ms Long-Bailey added: “I will try and get that reopen, it’s an urgent priority for Salford mayor Paul Dennett and myself.
“Labour have said that we’re going to train thousands more midwives as part of our plan, I want to make sure that Salford is a priority for that.”
Tyrone Roberts, chief nursing officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In January 2022, we made the difficult decision to pause birthing at Ingleside, and since then we regrettably have been unable to resume due to challenges around staffing.
“Delivering safe, effective and high quality care for pregnant people and their families is always our highest priority. We’re continuing to deliver care at Royal Bolton Hospital to provide support throughout a families’ pregnancy journey.
“Ingleside remains open for antenatal and postnatal appointments and we’re pleased to still provide home births with one of our experienced midwives for those who choose that option.”