LABOUR'S shadow minister for primary care and patient safety has visited Thurrock to learn more about the well-documented issues at Basildon Hospital's maternity unit and back-up care in the borough.

Feryal Clark joined local Labour parliamentary candidate Jen Craft for the meeting with local residents to hear about their experiences of using local maternity services.

There have been many negative stories about the service at Basildon, where staffing shortages and technical failures have been significantly problematic. Just some of the stories can be found in the links below.

• https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/gas-and-air-problems-at-basildon-hospital-as-leak-affects-health-of-midwifery-staff-161564
• https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/more-incidents-flagged-up-in-report-on-basildon-maternity-care-134461
• https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/hospital-still-has-maternity-staff-shortages-having-failed-to-meet-targets-set-in-wake-of-death

The Mid and South Essex Trust that runs Basildon, Southend and Chelmsford hospitals, has found itself under repeated criticism and a CQC inspection found that Basildon maternity unit did "not have enough nursing and midwifery staff to keep women and babies safe".

Inspectors found that not all staff completed mandatory training. They also found that maternity services did not have enough staff with the right qualifications, skills, training and experience to keep women safe, the trust did not always share learning from incidents, and that women using the trust's maternity services were not always triaged within target times.

At the meeting with local women, Labour's represenatives heard about their experiences, which ranged from their birth plans being thrown out, having to be induced when their partners couldn't be at the hospital, and not being able to access their preferred method of pain relief.

Ms Craft said: "I want to thank Feryal and all the women who contributed to the discussion on maternity care in Thurrock and Basildon. It is so important that women's voices are heard.

"When you're about to give birth, you need to feel confident that your birth plan can be followed and that your chosen method of pain relief is available to you. I've been hearing from lots of local women who are due to give birth in Basildon, who are very concerned by the suspension of gas and air and the well documented issues at the maternity unit.

Feryal Clark and Jen Craft at the meeting with local mums.

"Some of the stories I have heard are truly heart-breaking and it is clear that more must be done to ensure the safety of patients in maternity units here and across the country.

"I know that midwives and all NHS staff are working incredibly hard and doing everything they can to ensure the safety of their patients, but after 13 years of the Conservative mismanagement of the NHS, they are too often left overstretched and under resourced.

"Many of the problems, including those at Basildon, are down to understaffing. I will continue to work with local people to make sure their voices are being heard, and I am backing Labour's plan to provide the biggest expansion of NHS staff in history."

Ms Clark said: "It is deeply concerning that the maternity services provided in Thurrock and Basildon have been found in such a dire state. When women are at their most vulnerable, they need to know that the NHS will be able to keep them and their baby safe.

"Sadly, these crises have been all too common across the country, and the Government have completely failed to get a grip.

"We need to see firm action now to address these issues, and ensure women's safety is treated as a priority, not an afterthought.

"Labour will provide the biggest expansion of NHS staff in history. We will train 7,500 more doctors a year, 10,000 more nurses and midwives every year, double the number of district nurses qualifying, and 5,000 more health visitors, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status."