THE death knell has finally sounded for the imperilled Hemel Birth Centre with the announcement that it is to be closed.

Hospital chiefs grappling with staffing problems and millions of pounds of debts have decided the award-winning unit must close its doors to help balance the books subject to a consultation period.

But critics have raised the suspicion the unit, opened just three years ago to replace full maternity services, was always only intended as a short-term sop.

The move means expectant mums in Dacorum will no longer have the option of giving birth in the highly popular unit but will instead face an 'overcrowded' Watford General Hospital.

The unit, for low-risk births, opened in 2003 to soften the blow of the loss of maternity services and the special care baby unit.

MP Mike Penning said: “The opening of the unit was a knee-jerk reaction to the public uproar at the closure of the maternity unit.

“It was a cynical measure. I have had this suspicion for a while.

“I just don't believe the management have struggled to get midwives. The truth of the matter is it's all to do with finance.”

The shutdown was decided at a board meeting of West Herts Hospitals Trust where a public consultation was also announced.

But questions have been asked about whether the consultation, due to start in March and expected to last three months, will make any difference to the decision to close the birth centre.

The closure will save the trust £445,000 a year.

In a rare scene non-executive director Said Namdarkhan broke ranks to publicly question the move.

“The public we are serving complain consistently about moving everything from Hemel to Watford,” he told the board.

“The perception in the minds of the people of Hemel is that we are on the verge of closing Hemel.

“We are chipping all the time from Hemel over to Watford. It is more difficult for them to travel from Hemel to Watford.

“We have a big job to do to convince the public in Hemel we are not going to close the hospital.”

Trust chairman Thomas Hanahoe said: “We are not getting best value with respect to the birth unit.

“It has done a good job but it's extremely expensive. The cost of continuing it is to the detriment of the wider health of West Herts.”

An average of 36 women a month give birth in the unit but it has been plagued with
  recruitment problems.

Just before Christmas it was closed on the grounds of staff illness.

The unit has been closed ever since and will remain so during the consultation.
The trust says it needs 12 midwives to run the birth unit but it has only seven.

Meanwhile Watford's maternity unit is 24 midwives shy of its full complement of 151.

The shortfall is made up with bank and agency staff.

Veteran campaigner Zena Bullmore told board members: “I think you're making a dreadful mistake.

“You are depriving the people of West Herts a choice.

“You can't put money before people otherwise you are betraying the principals of the NHS.”

Katherine Deaney, chair of the Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted and District branch of the National Childbirth Trust, said: “It's an absolute disgrace.

“My fear is there is going to be some major catastrophe in Watford because they have not got the capacity to deal with it.

“The birth centre was the optimum best practice for low-risk units.”

Would-be Liberal Democrat MP Richard Grayson said: “I fear that many people will see this consultation, accompanied as it is by the current closure of the unit, as just another paper exercise on Hemel

Hospital where local views are just not listened to.”