Stroud MP Dr Simon Opher has issued a strongly worded statement following an urgent meeting with senior leadership at Gloucestershire NHS Trust regarding the future of Stroud Maternity Unit.
The meeting was held amid growing concerns about proposed changes to maternity services in the county and their impact on local care provision.
Dr Opher highlighted significant pressures on maternity services, including workforce shortages and the loss of experienced midwives, warning that continuity of care is being undermined.
He said: “Experienced midwives are leaving the profession faster than they can be replaced. Continuity of care, the single most evidenced intervention in maternity services, is being dismantled piece by piece. Women are losing confidence in a system that should be supporting them, a story plainly told by the current 51% caesarean section rate.”
He also raised concerns about the direction of proposed service changes: “The new proposals will effectively reduce SMH to little more than a pop-up unit, which is medically and socially short sighted. They are part of a wider and deeply worrying pattern: the systematic erosion of midwifery-led care across England. We need to care for people as close to their homes as possible, in their communities.”
Reflecting on the long-standing role of the service in the community, Dr Opher added: “Stroud Birth Unit has served this community for 73 years. It is not a problem to be solved, but a solution worth protecting. It is a special model that works.”
He concluded with a clear statement of intent: “I am absolutely furious and I will not let this go without a fight.”
Dr Opher has confirmed he will continue discussions with NHS leaders as proposals develop, and says he will oppose any measures that significantly reduce local maternity provision in Stroud.
A petition to help save Stroud Maternity Unit is available to sign HERE
