For each of your hospitals which has a maternity unit, please detail separately for the years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 (to date):
1. On how many occasions did the maternity unit temporarily close (defined as a period during which women in labour would not have been admitted to the unit)?
2. On each occasion, how many hours was the maternity unit closed for?
3. On each occasion, was the closure down to:
A shortage of suitable midwives
A shortage of suitable consultants
A shortage of suitable staff of other description
A shortage of available beds
Another reason (please give a brief description)
4. On each occasion, how many women in labour were turned away while the unit was closed?
5. On occasions when the maternity unit was closed, where were women in labour generally advised to go for care, and where is the furthest recorded place that a patient was sent?
The Trust has not officially closed any of its maternity units in 2013-2017 (to date). We may on occasions have redirected women for short periods of time however we have not refused maternity care to women during this time or asked them to access another maternity service for their care.