ONE in five women had to give birth in Aylesbury after arriving at Wycombe Hospital’s soon-to-be closed birth centre, figures uncovered by The Bucks Free Press show.

Of the 243 births due to take place at the hospital from November to May, 43 had to go to Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, 18 per cent. Not all would be in labour, bosses said.

Doctor-led births left the hospital in October, meaning only low risk births could stay and be delivered by midwives.

But some mums have had to be rushed to Aylesbury after running into complications, in some cases leading to babies being born in ambulances.

Hospital chiefs yesterday confirmed it would close Wycombe’s midwife led unit from August 1 for three months because of low staffing levels.

It means no births will take place at the hospital and follows the loss of serious A&E cases in 2005.

Mum Veronica Roberts, 23, who had to give birth to son Logan on the A4010 at Bradenham on the way to Aylesbury, said: “It does surprise me – I didn’t think it would be that many.

“I have said to a couple of people that are due to give birth that there is nothing wrong with Wycombe but I had a bad experience and would recommend going straight to Stoke.

“Therefore, you have every bit of care you need. I would rather Wycombe Hospital re-open so I can tell them to have their baby there.”

Wycombe MP Steve Baker said: “It is obviously upsetting – my heart goes out to those families involved.

“Everyone who hears those statistics will be concerned about it.

“It is up to the healthcare practitioners involved and management to reassure families that these arrangements are safe and appropriate.”

He said he wanted the hospital to ‘meet people’s needs within the bounds of the resources that are actually available’.

Bucks Free Press: logan Veronica Roberts, husband James and baby Logan, who was born in the back of an ambulance.

Conservative Mr Baker said he wanted staff to take control of the service as a ‘co-operative’ once Government reforms are put in place later this year.

Andrew Clark, chairman of the Local Involvement Network, the official NHS watchdog, said he would discuss our figures with the trust. He said he met trust managers yesterday about the closure.

Mr Clark said: "We were given assurances that they are recruiting 17 midwives for the unit and it is their firm intention to re-open it no later than October.

"They have given that assurance - we are happy to take that at face value for the time being and we look forward to the unit re-opening."

The figures, revealed under The Freedom of Information Act, show 25 transfers were made before birth and 18 were made after.

Last week we reported how Marie Phillips, wife of Bucks Free Press content editor Neil Phillips, had to be taken to Aylesbury after attending Wycombe for a planned birth.

He said the ‘worst part’ of the day was the 33-year-old being told to fight her contractions in the ambulance, as Aylesbury’s specialist hospital staff were needed.

Trust spokesman Lee Jones said women are ‘closely monitored’ so the right birthing venue can be found.

She said: “For those women who choose to use our birthing centre, in a vast majority of cases, giving birth will be straightforward.

“Our highly-skilled midwives are trained to spot any potential problems or complications that may arise, and if a woman requires extra help they will be transferred by ambulance, accompanied by a midwife, to our consultant-led service.

“We have very strict protocols in place and an early warning system, which means at the first sign of any difficulty or risk, either during or after labour, a transfer would be arranged.”

The BFP request asked for statistics for women ‘admitted to Wycombe Hospital to give birth’.

Miss Jones said: "Not all of these transfers would have been of labouring women.

“There are a variety of reasons why a transfer might be made; our figures include women who arrive at the centre who aren’t in labour but require closer monitoring and those women who have safely delivered their baby at the birthing centre but require ongoing support.”

She said: “Our rate for women who are transferred during labour is 12 per cent, this is within the national average.”

Yesterday it said ‘severe staff shortages’ meant the unit had to close to be ‘safe’. This was the ‘least disruptive’ option, they said – and doing nothing would increase transfer risks.

It said it was short of 20 midwives and this was caused by ‘natural turnover’, staff not wishing to work at Stoke after the October change, maternity leave and ‘fluctuating long-term sickness’.

Yet they said replacement staff had been appointed – but were delayed because of notice periods and the need for safety checks.

Staff had worked extra shifts but agency workers were not brought in over safety concerns and cost. Home births and clinics will continue.

Six were due to give birth at Wycombe during the closure period.

The unit was on course to see 360 births a year – but bosses previously said this would need to be 450 a year to offer ‘value for money’ and said it could close if not met.

The Free Press asked the trust in October, ahead of the loss of doctor-led births from Wycombe, how many births were expected to transfer to Stoke from the hospital.

Dr Ian Currie, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, said research showed 11 to 13 per cent of births from midwife led centres would need a doctor, usually for pain relief.

The trust will address an official watchdog about the changes on Friday.

Buckinghamshire County Council’s overview and scrutiny comnmittee for public health services meets at the South Bucks District Council offices at the Oxford Road, Denham at 10am. The public are welcome to attend.

Click the links below for related stories and the full statement from the hospital trust.