英国NHS联盟急性护理主任马修·霍普金斯警告称，英格兰可能需要关闭多达20个产科科室，以维护母婴安全护理1。这一建议源于产科医生严重短缺以及剖腹产率的上升1。在155个由产科顾问主导的NHS产科科室中，年分娩量仅为1,500至2,000人的小型科室正面临日益严峻的可持续性问题1。
霍普金斯表示，集中产科服务是"不可避免的"和"正确的"做法，尽管这一改革将引发政治反对并迫使受影响地区的孕妇前往更远的医院分娩1。他呼吁政府和议员展示"勇气"支持这一改革1。英国剖腹产率从2020年的33%上升至去年的45%1，而北德文郡医院产科科室已因人员不足在8月暂时关闭1。该关闭导致估计194名妇女不得不在距离巴恩斯特普尔43英里、需要70分钟车程的埃克塞特分娩1。
皇家产科医生学院主席艾莉森·赖特博士持不同看法，表示"除关闭产科科室外，还有其他更安全的解决劳动力挑战的办法，这些应该被探索"1。英国政府产科特别工作组应在圣诞节前发布改善分娩护理的报告1。
An NHS acute care director has cautioned that England may need to shut down as many as 20 maternity units to safeguard maternal and infant care amid severe shortages of obstetric doctors and rising cesarean section rates 1. Matthew Hopkins, the NHS Confederation's acute care lead, described the consolidation of maternity services as both "inevitable" and "the right thing to do," though he acknowledged the move will provoke political opposition and require pregnant women in affected areas to travel farther to give birth 1.
Of the 155 consultant-led NHS maternity units across England, up to 20 could face closure or functional changes, according to Hopkins 1. Small units delivering only 1,500 to 2,000 babies annually have become increasingly unsustainable 1. The pressure on maternity services has intensified as England's cesarean section rate climbed from 33 percent in 2020 to 45 percent last year 1. The challenges have already become visible on the ground: North Devon Hospital's maternity unit temporarily shut in August due to staffing constraints, forcing an estimated 194 women to deliver in Exeter, located 43 miles away and requiring a 70-minute drive from Barnstaple 1.
Hopkins called on the government and parliamentarians to demonstrate "courage" in supporting the proposed reforms 1. However, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has offered a different perspective, with its chair, Dr. Alison Wright, stating that "there are safer ways to solve our workforce challenges than closing maternity units, and these should be explored" 1. The government's maternity taskforce is expected to publish a report on improving birth care before Christmas 1.
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