Public air their views on services for women and children

20 May 2008

A total of 126 people came together at a 'deliberative event' initiated by Sutton and Merton and Surrey PCTs and the Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust last month to give their views on the future of services for women and children locally.

Organised by Opinion Leader Research, an independent research company, it was one of a number of engagement events aimed at developing a pre-consultation business case for these services, which could be the subject of formal public consultation later this year.

Participants included mothers, pregnant women and those currently without children but expecting to have them in the future. Grandmothers and some fathers also attended. They were drawn roughly 50:50 from Sutton and Merton and Surrey - the catchment area of the Trust.

The participants were first given a talk on why the three trusts feel there is a need to make changes, before receiving a presentation on the possible options for the future of the services. These are: 

1. move labour unit and overnight children's services to Epsom Hospital
2. move labour unit and overnight children's services to St Helier Hospital
3. retain labour unit and inpatient services at both sites
4. develop clinical partnerships with other local trusts/hospitals to deliver women and children's services (ie. St Helier working with a south west London hospital/trust and Epsom with a Surrey hospital/trust) 

Following table discussions, question and answer sessions and feedback, a number of themes emerged:

1. Cleanliness and clinical performance by hospitals came top of the list as important factors. Access issues, such as `how easy the treatment is to get to', are still important but come lower down the scale.
2. Participants welcomed choice over where to go to have their baby, but may lack information on which to base solid choices. 
3. Participants stated that they want to receive consistent care in a safe environment and expect the NHS to be able to deliver this, but they are concerned about the options for future models of care being sustainable in the long term.
4. None of the options presented were seen to be fair to everybody in terms of access and definitely sustainable in the long term. The preferred option overall was for services to be retained at both Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, despite the perceived difficulties in resourcing this option.
5. The new option of a specialist women's and children's hospital on the Sutton Hospital site was put forward at the meeting. If this option is not viable, the decision and rationale behind it need to be better communicated.
6. If there had to be a one site solution, Epsom would attract two thirds of the participants if St Helier did not offer inpatient services. St Helier would attract half the participants if Epsom did not offer inpatient services.
7. There was a strong feeling that further information is required before people can make informed decisions, and if any changes were proposed, they should be supported with extensive evidence by an independent body. 

The three NHS bodies are continuing to research all the clinical options and more evidence will be given to participants of a stakeholder event at St Anthony's Hospital, Cheam on May 27.

Dr Ruth Charlton is divisional director (family care) and Consultant Paediatrician of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Chair of the Project Team for the review. She said: "We will listen clearly and closely to what people told us at this event and there is little doubt that we do need to give the public more information about the various options and the problems of providing and sustaining some of those options into the future. No decision has been made and the fullest public consultation will take place before one is recommended to the local NHS boards.