News | London Falling birth rates and low staff morale and trust across the NHS in North London have raised concern among councillors. During a North Central London joint health overview and scrutiny committee on Friday councillors discussed concerning statistics with North Central London NHS leads. Committee member Tricia Clarke asked about the decline in the birth rate , which has led to a proposed cut to maternity units, with services at Whittington and Royal Free hospitals under threat.
Gillian Smith, chief medical officer at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, did not confirm which unit would close but acknowledged the need for closure. She said: “We know that in North Central London the birth rate is falling, and we have consequently seen a reduction in the number of births happening across the patch. “The quality of the services is good, and the patient feedback is good, but we know if we continue with the number of units that we have we won’t be able to sustain those services in the longer term.
“The birth rate is falling, that’s one of the main drivers of change in the ‘Start Well’ process.” The Start Well programme is a North Central London partnership programme which has been underway for a year and is going through an ‘options appraisal process’ for maternity, neonates and paediatric surgical services in the area. The process is due to be concluded in summer.
In terms of Whittington Health NHS Trust, committee chair Pippa Connor asked about.
