An NHS trust has announced a provisional date to reopen a maternity unit that closed temporarily because of staffing shortages. The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said birthing services at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple were due to reopen on Tuesday 29 September.
Bosses said they had made positive progress in recruiting the medical staff needed to reopen the unit, which was shut in August. The closure meant pregnant women had to travel 53 miles (85km) to give birth in Exeter. The trust said it would make a formal decision on 14 September after a final review of staffing, required skills and safety criteria.
In July, the trust said it did not have enough consultant and medical cover to deliver babies safely in Barnstaple after 11 August. Giving the planned reopening date, chief medical officer Dr Vanessa Purday said: "We fully recognise the disruption and anxiety caused by the temporary suspension and we are grateful to women and birthing people, their families, colleagues and partners for their patience and support."
She said the move was "an important step forward towards restoring services closer to home and being assured of patient safety and continuity of care" and hoped it provided certainty for colleagues and families using the services. Women who had been due to give birth in Barnstaple were advised to travel to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. More than 50 babies have been delivered there since the closure, it is understood.
Purday apologised to affected families who had to give birth elsewhere. She told BBC Devon: "It was really, really important that when you come to a hospital you know that you have the required level of specialist input and care should you need it 24/7. We could not give you that assurance in North Devon and that's we had to make this temporary change."
She said the trust had secured temporary staff "committed to working with us to medium to long-term" and added bosses would "continue to do all we can to recruit" to permanent staff. "We've reached out internationally, we've got a very active marketing team," she said. She added that it was important for expectant parents not to change their birthing plans, and the trust would contact them after the "go, no-go" decision on 14 September.
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Families had staged protests and said expectant mothers faced more stress because of longer journeys to give birth. Rebekah Hester, from Ilfracombe, who was classed as high-risk due to having pre-eclampsia, external, told the BBC coming to the realisation having a birth which may be not as planned was "terrifying".
The trust said it had put the safety of mothers and babies as its highest priority and had looked at other options. Carolyn Mills, the Royal Devon's chief nursing officer, said: "We have worked tirelessly alongside our partners, including NHS Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board and NHS England regional colleagues, to explore every possible option to avoid this outcome."
Reopening Date Set for Barnstaple Maternity Unit