北德文郡地区医院位于巴恩斯特普尔的产科病房已从本周二起无限期暂停运营[1]。这家医疗机构隶属皇家德文大学医疗保健NHS基金信托，该信托将此次暂停描述为临时性措施，但无法提供重新开放的具体时间[1]。
由于人员不足导致的产科关闭意味着孕妇现在必须前往50多英里外的埃克塞特医院分娩，车程需时至少1.5小时[1]。医院急诊科医生已接受培训课程，学习处理肩难产和产后大出血等产科紧急情况[1]。该决定引发了患者和医务人员的安全担忧。怀孕18周的杰米玛·奈特住在距最近医院两小时的地方，她的上一次分娩仅耗时两小时[1]。
德文郡议会领导人朱利安·巴西尔表示："这次关闭极其令人担忧。这样的决定在国家其他地区是不会被考虑的"[1]。德文郡议会将在本月晚些时候召开特别会议讨论此次产科关闭事宜[1]。
The maternity unit at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple has been suspended indefinitely beginning Tuesday due to staff shortages, according to the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS foundation trust, which has described the closure as temporary while offering no timeline for reopening [1]. The suspension forces pregnant women in the region to travel more than 50 miles to Exeter for childbirth, a journey of at least 1.5 hours [1]. In response to the closure, emergency department doctors have received crash course training in managing obstetric complications, including shoulder dystocia and postpartum haemorrhage [1].
The closure has prompted significant concern among patients and medical staff. One expectant mother, Jemima Knight, who is 18 weeks pregnant and lives two hours from the nearest hospital, expressed worry about the situation; her previous delivery took only two hours [1]. Council leader Julian Brazil stated that "this closure is extremely concerning" and emphasized that "it is not a decision which would be countenanced in other parts of the country" [1]. A special meeting of Devon county council scheduled for later this month will address the closure [1].