Trust Board Febuary 2010 - Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals

SWBTB (2/10) 045 (a)
MATERNITY SERVICE- MEDIUM TERM REVIEW
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR CHANGE
FEBRUARY 2010
Version 2 :17th Feb 2010
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
In September 2009 the Trust and PCT Boards agreed to public consultation on three short-listed options
for changes to the way maternity services, in relation to intra-partum and Consultant led care, are
provided at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust in the medium term i.e. from 2010 until
the opening of the new Acute Hospital in 2015/16. Following this public consultation took place between
12 th October 2009 and 18 th January 2010. The outcome of this consultation has been reviewed by an
independent organisation, Merida Associates and their report is being presented to the Board at its
meeting in February 2010.
During the public consultation period the Project Steering Group leading the medium term review of
maternity services, undertook more detailed work on the short listed options in relation to activity,
capacity, finance, staffing, risks, feasibility, timescale for implementation and equality impact
assessment. The Project Steering Group also considered responses to the consultation document.
The purpose of this report is to present the Project Steering Group’s recommended option and set out
the Business Case for the related service changes.
Option Appraisal and Preferred Option
A short list of three options was approved for public consultation. These are outlined below along with
the Do Minimum position which did not form part of the public consultation but is considered as a
baseline position for the option appraisal work.
Option 1: Transfer all births and consultant activity to City Hospital and retain low risk Midwifery led
antenatal services at Sandwell and City Hospitals including routine screening (scans). There would be
no births at Sandwell Hospital and all Consultant antenatal clinics would transfer to City Hospital
concentrating all high risk care to one site. All Neonatal care would be provided at City Hospital.
Option 2: All births and in-patient maternity care would be located at City Hospital. There would also be
a full range of antenatal services at City Hospital. A small number of Consultant antenatal clinics would
remain at Sandwell Hospital along with a full range of Midwifery antenatal services including routine
screening. There would be no births or inpatient maternity care at Sandwell Hospital. High risk in-patient
care will be provided at City Hospital. All Neonatal care would be provided at City Hospital.
Option 3: All consultant led care and, all in-patient services and, temporarily all births would transfer to
City Hospital. A Stand Alone Midwifery Led Birth Centre would be developed within Sandwell and, once
operational, some midwifery led low risk births would relocate to the new centre in Sandwell. Low risk
midwifery led antenatal care and routine screening will be available in Sandwell and at City Hospital.
Consultant led antenatal care would be relocated to City Hospital. All Neonatal care would be provided
at City Hospital.
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