IN October last year the midwife-led unit at Ludlow hospital was closed without notice when serious defects were discovered in the 1900 built Workhouse Infirmary building.

These defects were discovered only when NHS Property Services, claiming that the building was fit for purpose, proposed a 25-year lease at exorbitant rent.

Quite rightly, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals (SaTH) refused to put the lives of patients and staff at risk and after some intense work by maternity and Ludlow hospital staff the MLU re-opened in November – relocated into the main hospital building.

Working conditions were much improved and highly praised by staff, patients and visitors.

The decision was therefore totally justified.

Thereafter the MLU suffered numerous un-programmed temporary suspensions of overnight in-patient provision amidst much adverse publicity.

These were followed by similar closures of the MLUs at Bridgnorth and Oswestry, for periods of up to a week at a time.

This created uncertainty – patients due to give birth were no longer sure that their chosen midwifery unit would be open when needed – and this degenerated into a very dangerous situation.

A decision was taken therefore to suspend all rural MLU overnight facilities for a period of up to 24 weeks – and on the grounds of safety alone this decision has some justification.

However, within this 24-week timescale SaTH have the task of recruiting significant numbers of maternity staff, accommodating the findings of the on-going review by the CCG in addition to strategic planning work by the local maternity system, a mammoth task.

There are many ifs and buts, statistics and opinions that could drag this issue far beyond the 24-week target.

The CCG and SaTH must heed the opinion that matters – the concerned voices of present and future mums.