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Home >> Campaign news >> The threat to the PRH >> Have your say >> What the clinicians say >> Forthcoming events >> Past events >> Send us your stories >> Online petition >> Printable petition >> Photo gallery >> Supporters >> Contact us >>	Axe falls on "best performing" maternity consultants with no guarantee of replacement midwife-led service 18 February 2008 Campaigners have reacted with dismay to the decision of the Board of the West Sussex Primary Care Trust to rule out the continuation of a consultant-led maternity service at the Princess Royal Hospital at its meeting on 14^th February, despite the service recently being rated as “best performing” by the independent Healthcare Commission. The decision will be a blow to the thousands of Mid Sussex residents who made representations to the PCT in support of the retention of consultant-led services. Around 2,300 babies are born at the PRH each year under the consultant-led service. Efforts to increase the number of GP referrals to the PRH have resulted in a 40% increase in the referral rate in the year to date and the campaign has evidence of increasing demand on the PRH’s services from GPs in Horsham and Crawley keen to set up midwife clinics linked to the PRH in their area, suggesting that the PCT’s target of 3,500-4,000 births annually can be met with long term planning. No guarantee of replacement midwife-led service The decision has been accompanied by news that the PCT is considering a number of locations for smaller midwife-led units, which would allow the 25% least risky deliveries to be made at smaller, more accessible units. The PCT Board has agreed that two units could be created in West Sussex, with one in the north of the county, either at Haywards Heath or Crawley, and campaigners are concerned that a replacement midwife-led unit (catering for around 500 births per year) may be located at Crawley rather than replacing the axed consultant-led unit at the Princess Royal Hospital. Mid Sussex MP Nicholas Soames said: “this decision will be a real disappointment to Mid Sussex residents who now find out that not only has the PRH been stripped of its highly skilled obstetric consultants, but there is a significant risk that the replacement midwife-led unit will be placed in Crawley. If we are to lose our valued consultant-led services, it is vital that the midwife-led unit comes to the PRH to allow at least some expectant mothers to give birth in a locally accessible unit” Decision to be made without public consultation In response to questions from campaigners, the PCT Board admitted that they intend to make a decision on the location of stand-alone midwife-led units without full public consultation, instead planning to ‘engage’ with clinicians and other stakeholders. Campaign spokesman Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: “given that the original consultation document was silent on the location of midwife-led units it is important that the PCT is now prepared to carry out a meaningful consultation with people across West Sussex to help inform an eventual decision on their location”