BOSSES at Whipps Cross University Hospital have decided to reinstate its home births service after a couple threatened legal action.

The cash-strapped hospital in Leytonstone announced earlier this month that it would be impossible to provide midwives to households from December 18 for up to six weeks due to staff shortages.

But now, with the help of the NHS outer north east London (NHS ONEL) health authority, extra funding has been made available to pay for an independent midwife service for those who were hit by the sudden suspension.

Adam and Michelle Boult, of Wood Street in Walthamstow, were planning to have a home birth in January and were so outraged by the hospital’s plan to stop the service they called in a barrister, who argued the hospital had a legal responsibility to support them.

Mr Boult, a 32-year-old journalist, said: “While they would probably deny it, to get them to agree to this has taken an extraordinary amount of pressure.

“We were lucky enough to have a very helpful barrister and solicitor who have pushed for the Trust to reconsider its stance, culminating in Whipps Cross receiving a pre-action letter suggesting a judicial review”.

Fiona Chapman, head of the Waltham Forest Home Birth Support Group, welcomed the move.

She said: “It's very happy news for Christmas. We've also heard the maternity unit is doing a lot of work on recruitment, so we're hoping the service that they should have had in place in the autumn will finally be up and running by February.”

“I know of one lady who was determined to have a home birth and said she would have one unassisted if it came to it because she'd had such a terrible experience first time in hospital.

“But suddenly after all the press attention and legal action the hospital said they would be able to help after all, so she's very pleased.”

In a joint statement, Whipps Cross and ONEL said: "[We] are committed to offering all women in the local area the best possible choice of how and where they give birth.

"We have been working together to find a way to offer a home birth service during the next four weeks. Safety is our priority, and we did have some concerns about staffing levels over this period.

"However, by working together, the hospital and NHS ONEL are now able to bring in independent midwives for this limited period, until the hospital’s Home Birth Service team is in place.

"This means those women who asked for a home birth in the next four weeks can have one. We have always been committed to developing the Home Birth Service and to ensuring we provide high quality, safe and consistent services to all women."

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