Changes for maternity unit (From Barry And District News)

Changes for maternity unit

VALE of Glamorgan mums-to-be face an anxious wait to discover where they will be giving birth to their babies in the future.

Maternity care at Llandough Hospital is set to change and the public has until March 18 to have their say on the 11 million plans.

Llandough Hospital has doctors based on site who are able to deal with medical emergencies during childbirth, but the hospital is set to become a midwife-led.

Babies needing specialist care will be referred to the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in the Heath, Cardiff.

At a Vale of Glamorgan Council meeting this week, the Vale of Glamorgan Local Health Board outlined plans for Llandough and UHW.

Many councillors raised concerns about the implications of the proposals - including the time it would take for emergency cases to be transferred to UHW.

But Abigail Harries, Chief Executive of the Vale's Local Health Board, insisted the proposals were the best way forward.

She said: "We have had extensive meetings with the Ambulance Trust, who assure us if an emergency arose, they can get the mother-to-be from Llandough Hospital to UHW, even during rush hour, in 15 minutes.

"But the sad fact is that as we stand, we do not have the recruitment and retention levels in midwifery to allow us to keep the current practice in place.

"In other authorities already using these new units, the number of midwives staying in their jobs has increased, leading us to believe the new models are better than the present system for those who have to work within them."