Tulip Siddiq has joined a “last chance” protest against plans that will see one maternity unit in north London axed.
The Labour MP gathered with activists outside the Royal Free Hospital on Friday (March 8), where she warned that mums from “marginalised backgrounds” would feel cuts to maternity services most acutely.
The maternity unit at the Royal Free, which is located in Siddiq’s constituency, is earmarked for closure under plans put forward after a fall in the number of babies born in north London.
North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB) is currently running a public consultation on proposals to cut the number of neonatal units it runs from five to four.
Currently, the Royal Free's unit is the preferred option for closure, with nearby Whittington listed as the second preference.
The plans could also see the closure of the birthing suites at the Edgware Birth Centre.
The health board has said it would be “some years” before any of the proposed changes are implemented and that it is consulting with “an open mind”.
A consultation is due to end on Sunday (March 17), and Siddiq said now is “the last chance to save these vital services which support the most vulnerable women”.
The Hampstead MP has previously raised concerns that life-saving specialist services unavailable at other local hospitals will be impacted.
These include a specialist HIV antenatal clinic, dialysis services, 24/7 interventional radiology services, specialist liver and renal transplant services, and an on-site cardiac intensive care unit.
A senior obstetric consultant at the Royal Free Hospital warned that closing the maternity unit could potentially “widen existing health inequalities and put women’s lives at risk”.
Siddiq said: “Losing the Royal Free’s invaluable maternity unit would be devastating for our community, and it could leave women without access to the life-saving services that this brilliant hospital provides.”
She added: “We must ensure that these voices are not ignored.
“With the consultation closing this week, now could be the last chance to make sure your views are heard before it’s too late and save these vital services which support the most vulnerable women.
“I’d encourage anyone who shares my love for the Royal Free to sign the petition to save its maternity unit and make a submission to the consultation.”
Siddiq is not the only MP who has raised concerns about the proposals put forward by NHS North Central London.
Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn and Hornsey and Wood Green MP Catherine West have opposed closing the neonatal unit at the Whittington Hospital, the ICB’s second option after the Royal Free.
The proposals also suggest creating two "centres of expertise" at Great Ormond Street Hospital and UCLH.
Health bosses claim this would mean “quicker and better quality of care” for babies and small children who need operations.
North Central London ICB includes the boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.
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