Doctors at one of England’s remotest hospitals have been given a “crash course” in birth emergencies after its maternity unit was shut and as fears grow that the safety of women and babies may be put at risk.
From Tuesday, the maternity service at North Devon district hospital (NDDH) in Barnstaple has been suspended indefinitely owing to staff shortages, leaving many pregnant women facing a journey of at least an hour and a half when they go into labour.
A doctor at the hospital has now revealed that emergency staff at the NDDH have been given training in dealing with difficult births if mothers cannot get to Exeter.
The doctor, who asked not to be named, said: “I’m hoping that we won’t see such emergencies and women will birth their babies without a problem and both will be fine, but there is a potential that we will see women who can’t make it to a maternity unit who have to be diverted to the hospital.
“There’s been a crash course in learning how to deal with emergencies such as shoulder dystocia or postpartum haemorrhage. It’s been an intense time and we’re all pretty shocked. We’re capable but they’ve thrown us into a potentially very serious situation. There’s a physical risk to the public.
“The emergency department and its staff are familiar with dealing with emergencies without the direct help of specialities but it’s the unfamiliarity of an obstetric emergency or neonatal collapse and having no one nearby on site to assist that is confronting.”
Source: The Guardian, 11 August 2026
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