Maternity and A&E services still at risk at Bedford Hospital, new consultation document confirms

A new document has today confirmed plans to cut maternity and A&E services at Bedford Hospital are still on the table.

As reported by BoS numerous times over the last few years, the hospital could lose key services under the Sustainability and Transformation Plan, which reviews how services are delivered across the region at Bedford, Milton Keynes and Luton hospitals.

The latest plans show:

  • A&E services could be reduced in at least one of the three hospitals, ‘especially overnight’
  • Consultant-led maternity care could be removed in at least one hospital, meaning only ‘low-risk births’ could take place locally
  • Paediatric care at two of the hospitals could be reduced, with care concentrated for the most unwell children at one of the three sites

Mayor of Bedford Dave Hodgson has now sounded the alarm for residents to speak out ‘before it’s too late’.

He said: “We need to speak out as a community against these proposals before it is too late. They could mean the end of Bedford Hospital as we know it, and it is only by delivering a resounding message that we will not accept it that we will succeed in changing minds.

“So I’m calling for people to respond to the paper and let STP leaders know what they think about cuts in urgent care services.”
Read more at Bedfordshire On Sunday, 7 March 2017