31 May 2022
Statement from Blair Roxborough, St George’s Hospital Chief Executive.
St George’s Hospital will endeavour to maintain safe maternity services for the duration of the existing contract with the Canterbury District Health Board (Canterbury DHB). This contract is for the provision of publicly funded maternity services and runs until June next year.
In March this year, we consulted our maternity staff on the future of our service.
Canterbury DHB has announced a new central city primary birthing unit due to open in early 2023. We continue to discuss the future of our maternity services contract – beyond June 2023 – with the Canterbury DHB.
While we will remain open for the next year, we still have to overcome the staffing challenges that led to the review. There remains a national shortage of midwives and we appreciate the input from our own maternity staff and Midwives Union MERAS on staffing suggestions. We are once again advertising for midwives.
I want to be very clear, that unless this staffing shortage is resolved in order to maintain safe maternity services, we will still have to further scale back birthing at St George’s, whilst retaining a post-natal service for mother, baby, and whānau.
St George’s Hospital maternity services are highly regarded and greatly valued by the community, and we are grateful of the level of support for our maternity services.
For further information:
Erin Jamieson
021 743 237