WORRIED parents claim they are still being kept in the dark over the future of the city’s high risk pregnancy unit.

From Monday, the John Radcliffe Hospital will close Level Six of its maternity unit, which is where the Silver Star specialist maternity unit is based.

It looks after pregnant women who have become seriously ill, but last week it emerged a shortage of midwives had led to the decision to shut Level Six and shift all services to Level Five.

Most midwives are on a ‘zero-hour contract’, allowing them to take time off when they like, and many choose not to work over the summer when their children are off school.

Parents and campaigners, including Oscar-nominated writer Armando Iannucci, whose three children were born at the unit. have demanded to know what the future holds for the Silver Star unit.

Mr Iannucci, who directed the political satire In the Loop, is patron of the Silver Star charity, which has raised more than £100,000 for special facilities on Level Six, including two dedicated family rooms.

He has called on the John Radcliffe to safeguard the unit’s future. But so far health bosses has been unable to say when – or if – the unit will reopen, although it says the service will continue to be provided regardless.

Yesterday we put a series of questions to Elaine Strachan Hall, the hospital’s director of nursing.

She said: “It’s safer and easier for staff to manage beds across two areas, than across three areas.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that we run the best services we can – in terms of quality and safety and efficiency – for all our patients. Delivering high quality services is about more than location.”

A similar reshuffle of beds last year was branded “bedlam” by some mothers who were treated at the maternity unit during the changeover.

Questions we asked were:

WHEN is Level Six closing?

We are planning to close Level Six on Monday, July 19.

Why were members of the Maternity Services Liaison Committee (a group set up by staff and previous patients) not informed of the planned closure?

We have been closing one level of the maternity unit, and consolidating beds on two levels instead of three regularly over the last 10 years. We had planned to discuss our proposals with all of our partners – including the liaison committee – but the information reached the public domain before we had a chance to do so in a planned and discussive way.

Why are staff on a zero hour contract if it poses recurring problems every summer?

Some of our staff like to work for us when it suits them. They are given a zero hour contract. Some of the staff have children who they want to spend the summer holidays with. This is about valuing our staff and this flexible contract allows them to keep a hand in with our services when it suits them.

People have contacted us asking the ORH to prove no babies or mothers were affected by the change last year. Was an audit carried out at the time and has anyone analysed the figures? Do you have figures for perinatal mortality (baby deaths) during last year’s closure?

Initial inspection of our data does not suggest that there was any increase in incidents as a result of last year’s move of beds on to Level 5.

We have been moving maternity beds in this way for the last 10 years and we monitor closely to see if there is an increase in incidents that might cause concern. The data we collect on perinatal deaths is fed into a central national system – CMACE (the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries) – on a monthly basis but because these monthly figures are easily distorted by small variations in numbers, they do not provide an accurate ‘snapshot’ of the quality of our service when taken in isolation.

All the information we submit goes through a validation process and we are always reluctant to bypass this formal system, which has been set up to ensure that information is accurate. Having been validated, the information we provide is fed back to us. The data for 2009 is available in October and we would be happy to share this data.

Can you guarantee the Silver Star Service will move back to Level Six and into the area which has been specially fundraised for?

I can give no absolute guarantee that the service will reopen in Level Six. I can guarantee the Silver Star Service will continue carrying out the important maternity service it provides.

Beds are useless without staff to man them. The staff shortages are worse this year than last year, with a shortage of 29 midwives compared to 18 last year. How can you reassure mothers they will be safe in light of the fact there will be more beds open than last year but less staff to manage them?

We have already recruited 20 new midwives and these staff will be starting gradually during the summer months. Some have started work with us already and we are advertising again to fill the remaining vacancies.

The 29 midwife shortage is not just for the JR – it is distributed across the whole of the ORH maternity services on five sites.

We have increased our overall staffing as well this year so that we have more midwives available and women get more time with their midwife during delivery.

During this summer, as always, we are committed to providing the safest service we can, and welcome feedback both from staff, clinicians, patients and their families to improve the service we deliver.