A new report has backed plans to move Liverpool Women’s Hospital to the Royal.
Independent findings published on Tuesday into the services for women and newborn babies delivered in Liverpool have backed proposals by health chiefs.
It was revealed in January that a move to the new site for the city’s main hospital would be the preferred option for the future of the Women’s.
The Northern England Clinical Senate, a panel of midwives and doctors, conducted the review into women’s and neonatal services in Liverpool.
Their report agreed with NHS bosses’ plans to link the Women’s Hospital to the Royal through a connecting bridge for a greater access to vital resources.
Liverpool Women’s does not have CT or MRI scanning facilities, a blood bank or an adult intensive care unit as well as limited space in its neonatal unit.
A potential move to the Royal would not meet all of the issues but is claimed to be the most ‘sustainable’ of the four options published earlier this year.
Pubic consultations on the proposed relocation of the Women’s could take place as early as the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018.
Dr Fiona Lemmens, Clinical Director for the Healthy Liverpool Hospitals Programme, said: “The Northern England Clinical Senate confirms the view held by local midwives, nurses and doctors, that services at Liverpool Women’s face some very significant, and growing, challenges.
“It also supports our belief that we must act to make sure that care for women and newborn babies in the city is safe now, and in the future.
“A huge amount of work has taken place to develop potential solutions for these services, which has led us to believe that the best option for the future would be a new Liverpool Women’s Hospital, next to the new Royal Liverpool Hospital.
However, before we make a final decision, we need to know what people think about this proposal. This will be the purpose of the public consultation, which we hope will begin either towards the end of 2017, or early next year.”
Dr Andrew Loughney, Medical Director at Liverpool Women’s said: “The findings of the Clinical Senate report reflect the challenges that we face as clinicians on a daily basis.
“While the team at Liverpool Women’s work tirelessly to deliver the very best care that they can, and our outcomes for patients are good, we know that there are opportunities to make this even better.
“Midwives, nurses and doctors at Liverpool Women’s have been at the heart of the process to identify the problems facing services, and develop options for the future. We look forward to talking about this is more detail during any future public consultation.”
Any members of the public who want to be kept informed on progress around the launch of the public consultation on Liverpool Women’s Hospital can sign up at: healthyliverpool.nhs.uk or by calling 0151 296 7537.