EXPECTANTÂ mums will no longer be able to have planned caesareans (c-sections) at Good Hope Hospital after staff shortages raised operating theatre safety fears.
Mums who need an elective c-section – where the procedure is booked in advance – will be directed to Heartlands Hospital from July 3.
Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT), which runs Solihull, Good Hope and Heartlands hospitals said emergency and urgent c-sections will continue at the Sutton Coldfield site.
The Trust added in a statement added: “Patients who choose to deliver naturally at Good Hope in the delivery suite and/or need an urgent or emergency caesarean section will continue to have their babies there.
“Due to further resignations of theatre support staff over the last few weeks, the numbers of staff available are too low to safely maintain the planned C-section deliveries, alongside the emergencies.
“The safety of mothers and babies is our highest priority.”
In 2016/2017 there were 3,573 births at Good Hope Hospital and 547 of these were planned c-sections, which is around 10 a week.
The hospital also has two obstetric theatres which are used for planned, urgent and emergency deliveries.
To safely staff these theatres, it needs a team including enough theatre staff to assist the anaesthetist, scrub for the operation and care for women in recovery afterwards.
This currently means that if two urgent/emergency deliveries are taking place at the same time, then the planned C-section will be postponed causing inconvenience and distress for the mum-to-be.
