MP calls for reopening of Macclesfield maternity

Local MP, David Rutley, has called for the Macclesfield maternity unit to be reopened at the earliest opportunity.

When the maternity unit was temporarily closed, the public trusted East Cheshire NHS Trust’s Board, to do what was needed in response to the pandemic and put their trust in the Board’s commitment to reopen the maternity unit when through the worst of the challenges.

As we emerge from the pandemic, David is now calling on the Board to honour its commitment and set out plans to reopen the maternity unit, with a clear reopening date, as soon as possible. 

David has regular meetings with health leaders at East Cheshire NHS Trust to discuss the reopening of maternity services, following previous planned reopening dates having not been achieved, primarily due to further concerns about coronavirus. Over recent weeks, he has been told that the Trust’s Board continues to work towards the safe return of maternity services later this year, although no reopening date has been given.

Based on research from the House of Commons Library, it would appear that Macclesfield’s maternity unit is one of a very small number of units which have been temporarily closed due to coronavirus. This is despite several other smaller maternity units across the country continuing to remain open during the pandemic – further highlighting the need for our own local high quality and award-winning maternity unit to be reopened now we are moving on from the pandemic.  

David said, “We are all very grateful for the fantastic work local doctors and nurses have done and continue to do in combatting coronavirus. However, as we move to more normal times and after nearly two years of temporary suspension of the maternity unit, it is vital that the East Cheshire NHS Trust Board urgently sets out its plans to reopen this much-valued service as soon as possible to provide greater certainty for local families – it is what they deserve.”