“It’s now almost impossible to be a natural born Salfordian.” – Salford MP fights for the return of birth centre

Salford mothers have raised concerns alongside MP Rebecca Long-Bailey over having to go outside the city to give birth to their babies.

The calls from Salford mothers have followed Long-Bailey’s call to the Health Secretary to discuss reopening Ingleside Birth and Community Centre.

The Salford MP pushed the Health Secretary to meet with her to discuss reopening the Ingleside Birth and Community Centre on Tuesday 15 October. 

Currently, there are no maternity wards or birthing centres in Salford meaning that expectant mothers are having to travel up to an hour away to Royal Bolton Hospital.  

If they want their baby to be born in Salford, they have to choose a home delivery but studies have shown that planned home births may be associated with a higher risk of infant death, seizures, and nervous system disorders compared to planned hospital births.  

And with some families and women they may not have access to a vehicle, or may struggle with the expenses for travelling these long distances.

Salford is currently the 18th most deprived local authority area in England (out of 317) meaning that travel is not always accessible or affordable to those in the local community.

And these concerns were shared by Rebecca Long-Bailey MP who argued that “it’s hugely difficult for parents because not every family has a car.”

“If you need to travel all the way to Bolton it creates more costs – at a time when people are really struggling.”  

The Salford MP continued to share: “I have since arranged a meeting with the relevant Government Minister to discuss how they can help safely reopen the centre and address the midwifery staffing crisis.” 

The centre offered ‘low risk’ mums the opportunity to be able to give birth in a safe environment that provides similar comforts to their own home.

The facility was large Victorian mansion, refurbished using £130,000 from a Crowdfunding appeal, into a state-of-the-art maternity center that includes four birthing suites, each with their own pool and mood lighting.

Unfortunately, the centre was then shut in January of 2022 due to a midwifery staffing crisis, and to reopen the center, Ingleside will need sustainable targets for births and a supportive staff base.

However, this doesn’t look to easy as England is currently experiencing a shortage of about 2,500 midwives meaning that maternity units are struggling with safety concerns.

The government announced earlier this year that they will be investing an extra £35m in maternity services over the next three years, with the hope of recruiting an extra 160 midwives and training 6,000 clinical staff in neonatal resuscitation.  

The support from the government will be significant, but the other issue also stems with proud Salfordian women left feeling disappointed that their children cannot legally be born in Salford.

As one local Mother commented: “I’ve always been sad that children cannot be born in Salford anymore.

“We need access to more places to give birth in our city because it’s now almost impossible to be a natural born Salfordian.”