Public to be consulted on new £11m Barrow maternity unit

A number of drop-in events will be held to gather views on the proposals which aim to usher in a new era of care in Barrow.

For the past five years, Furness General Hospital his been mired in controversy amid baby and mother deaths in the maternity unit.

Sue Smith, executive chief nurse, at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We want this new unit to feel like it is owned by the local community so it was really important to us when developing the plans that we asked for the opinions and ideas of those that have used or might use our maternity services, staff that will work in the new unit, and members of the general public.

“We had excellent feedback and ideas and took all of them on board. We now believe that thanks to the contribution of local people, we have plans that will transform maternity services at FGH.”

Plans for the new unit were approved at the UHMBT board meeting on March 30, and include 14 en suite birthing rooms with facilities for partners or family to stay overnight, two dedicated operating theatres, a special care baby unit, and a bereavement suite.

The plans for the unit were co-designed with staff, service users and members of the public.

Now the plans will be thrown open to comments and feedback from the wider public as a series of special events.

A ‘drop-in’ event has been arranged on Thursday April 14, from 3pm-7pm, in the Lonsdale Restaurant at FGH.

And a further event will be held at Ulverston Health Centre on Tuesday April 26 from 4pm-5pm.

David Walker, medical director at UHMBT, said: “We want to give everyone the opportunity to come and have a look at the plans in more detail and speak to the staff and service users that were involved in creating them.

“This is your chance to ask questions and see for yourself what the future of  maternity services at the hospital will look like so we hope as many people as possible will take the time to come along.”