CONTROVERSIAL changes to staffing at Kendal's maternity ward were discussed at an open forum yesterday as part of a consultation.

The interim changes, made almost two years ago, mean that while women can still deliver their babies at Westmorland General Hospital's Helme Chase maternity unit 24/7, the staff are no longer on duty overnight and at weekends when there are no women or babies to care for.

Instead they operate an on call service and if a woman goes into labour during these hours they arrange to meet her at the unit, or to assess her in her own home if that is her preference.

One of those who attended the forum was Nicola Crompton, from Staveley, who gave birth to her two-year-old, Rosa-Mae, at Helme Chase and to make sure the service was 'sustainable for the future'.

"I think we need to increase the number of women choosing to give birth there," she said. "There is a decline in birth rates there and that is partly because of a change in national guidance and partly because women are being put off having their babies there because of the interim changes in staffing."

Mums attending the forum also expressed concerns that there had been a lack of communication about what was and was not available at Helme Chase following the changes.

They claimed that not enough data had been made available about the number of women who had to be transferred to other hospitals to give birth. And they were also troubled that mums were not able to stay longer at the unit after they had given birth.

Also discussed was how the new shift patterns may have affected the on-call midwives themselves.

Kristie Charlton, a unit midwife at Helme Chase for the past three years, said that although staff were tired it was the 'nature of the job'.

"I think at the beginning it was a shock. It was a change that happened quite quickly," she said. "At the beginning the staff understandably did struggle to come to terms with what had happened but now that the services are evolving staff morale is increasing."

Ms Charlton said that as recruitment increased it would become easier for staff to cope and the additional hours freed up in the day would contribute towards the ward becoming a 'maternity hub' - available for antenatal and postnatal care.

Views from the forum will feed into the consultation that is currently underway to decide whether the interim changes should be made permanent.

Eleanor Hodgson, director of children and families for NHS Cumbria Commissioning Group, said that she felt it had been an 'excellent session'.

"I think some of the things that were said weren't to do with the rota change but to do with good maternity care," she said. "That's what we need to work with the Trust on."

The public consultation on whether to make the interim changes permanent closes on November 4.