Top honours in the Whitehall whitewash stakes must go to claims about Malton maternity unit made in last week's Viewpoint by the Department of Health.
It was alleged that closure is best for patient safety despite evidence that the unit provides a safe, caring and comfortable service.
A series of claims followed which are on a par with the Conservative think tank report suggesting we all move so
uth.
The utter lack of understanding of the geography of our area is equally breathtaking.
What is laughingly called the department’s customer service centre proudly states that the health trust consulted on its closure proposals.
What the letter neglects to mention is that the consultation provoked a storm of protest from mums wanting to keep Malton maternity unit open.
Then we are told the move is based on the same centralised model in other centres, neatly forgetting Ryedale is a rural area and Malton is 24 miles from Scarborough.
As for safety, we are told more choice is to be offered with the option of home births – an option in fact already available.
And how exactly is that safer than birth at Malton Hospital when distances to Scarborough may be much greater from homes in the far reaches of Ryedale?
The logic is that the change is nothing to do with the safety of mums and everything to do with cost, even though the budget for running Malton must be relatively modest.
Again “choice” is highlighted in the appalling and misleading claim that vast numbers of mums opted for Scarborough in preference to Malton.
What really happened is that hours and staffing at the local hospital have been cut and access made increasingly difficult in order to force mums into Scarborough and York.
I am still awaiting a response to a letter to Health Secretary Alan Johnson inviting him to show the Government is capable of listening to local opinion.
It can only do so by reprieving Malton maternity unit.
Howard Keal
Malton and Thirsk Liberal Democrat
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate
St Nicholas Street
Norton
