A WORCESTERSHIRE mum has organised a peaceful talk outside the Alexandra Hospital to bring back the maternity and children’s services.
Kirsty Southwell, from Redditch, is calling people to come between 12.30pm and 4.30pm on October 22 and speak about how they have been affected since the services removal.
She said: “We need to make as much noise as we can.
“We want everyone to come and show support – this is vital to get us heard.”
Kirsty’s fight for the Alexandra Hospitals services to come back came from her own experience.
In 2017, a midwife in Redditch told Kirsty her baby was stillborn and that she had to travel to Worcester via bus to deliver him.
She added: “It makes me so angry that they are playing with our children’s lives.
“I am going to fight this and make it the last campaign we have.”
Earlier this year, Kirsty set up a petition to bring the services back, and so far, it has reached over 4,000 signatures.
Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said they had invested in improving and expanding their services.
He added: “The Alexandra is being actively developed as a centre of excellence for planned surgery and in that role has a vital part to play in reducing waiting times and improving the quality of care for patients waiting for a wide range of surgery and other procedures.
“The changes to maternity and paediatric services were the subject of extensive public consultation and were followed by an inclusive public service review which endorsed the service changes as presenting the best way to deliver sustainable and high-quality services for patients.”
Early in November, Kirsty will sit down with the Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and MP Rachel Maclean.
Visit change.org/p/bring-back-children-s-and-maternity-services-at-the-alexandra-hospital to sign the petition.
