NHS Maternity Crisis: 90,000 say Save Liverpool Women’s Hospital at Crown St
* Save Liverpool Women's Hospital Campaign will present petitions to this Thursday's Integrated Care Board*
Lobby from 12 noon this Thursday 28th May, present petitions to ICB at 1pm
At The
The Holiday Inn, Lime St, Liverpool L1 NQ
In January 2026 Cheshire and Merseyside adopted a plan for Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Option 6 is to move Liverpool Women’s Hospital to the Royal Liverpool.
Step one (called Option 2) is to move some complex operations to the Royal 'in a clinical space', possibly Floor 9.
Option 2 proposes to have the most complex surgical deliveries and operations in the already overcrowded, financially challenged Royal but it was said very forcefully ' There is no going back from Option 6”. (see ICB January minutes)
What is being proposed by the ICB is the first step in a much larger process.
The ICB this Thursday will decide to go out to 'public engagement' on their short term Option 2
Taking just option 2 to consultation without the core issue of Option 6 lacks the candour the NHS is obliged to provide.
Liverpool Women’s is fundamentally underfunded and cannot afford to employ all the staff it needs
Campaigners ask:
Why is there no detailed business case in the papers, as how can the public give a view if there is no detail of what is involved?
- Given that the numbers needing very specialised care are small, approximately 130 per annum (ICB figures), is it appropriate to open a special unit in the Royal in an 'existing clinical space' or on the 9th floor of the already overcrowded Royal and who will staff it?
- Will these be additional posts based at the unit in the Royal?
- Will Option 2 require additional intensive care facilities and surgery days at the Royal? Who will cover at Liverpool Women's while staff are at Liverpool Royal? How will unexpected complications be managed with staff working away in the Royal?
- if a woman with a high-risk pregnancy goes into spontaneous labour ahead of her elective surgery date, is she expected to present at RLUH’s Accident and Emergency department?
- where will the additional costs come from given the severe financial problems of both LWH and LUHFT and the acute cuts imposed on the ICB and these trusts? These cuts are more severe than other areas
- what happens to the babies of the 30 or so surgical births, how can a small area in the Royal offer wrap around services for mothers& babies e.g. neonatal care, breast feeding support, mental health support to name just a few?
- where are detailed costings for staff and equipment, support services etc.
- why no mention of the national Maternity crisis, underfunded, understaffed and damaged over the years?
The ICB continues to ignore the background of the national Maternity Crisis, moving Maternity into general and hospitals has not seen an improvement in outcomes for mothers and babies. 'The UK maternal death rate has returned to levels that we have not seen for the past 20years' (Marion Knight Director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit and MBRRACE-UK)
- At the joint board of the Liverpool University Hospitals Group (including LWH) the discussion on the strategy for 2030 did not mention maternity
- Save Liverpool Women's Hospital Campaign Group has produced a detailed response to the ICB Case For Change (see below)
We and the 90,00 signing our petition, demand:
- Full public funding for LWH on its Crown St site
- Urgent investment in maternity care to improve staffing and facilities, and tackle inequality to make maternity safe
- A publicly owned, publicly provided NHS, fully restored, repaired and rebuilt
Further information can be found here:
Our response to the Case for Change https://saveliverpoolwomenshospital.com/2025/01/15/our-response/
Our detailed response to the January ICB options https://saveliverpoolwomenshospital.com/2026/01/29/liverpool-womens-hospital-in-the-eye-of-the-nhs-storm/
Source: Save Liverpool Women's Hopsital Campaign Group
