SAVE The Grange campaigners have reacted with disappointment after being told no date has been set for the popular birth centre to be reopened. The birth centre in Swan Street shut in July amid furious protests from mums-to-be. They were told a shortage of staff was to blame, with an unusual number of midwives off sick or taking maternity leave themselves. A series of high profile meetings and protests have been staged throughout the summer, with East Hampshire MP Michael Mates expressing his disapproval of the closure. At a meeting earlier this month, campaigners were told by Portsmouth Hospital Trust head of midwifery Donna Ockenden that 12 new student midwives had been appointed. But despite the extra staff no promises have been made by NHS bosses, with only an indication of March offered as a possible date for reopening. Mrs Ockenden told The Herald this week that student nurses require a midwifery registration before they can be considered practising midwives. It would be six months, she said, before a period of "consolidation and orientation" was completed. And then they would be able to consider freeing up staff to come back and run The Grange. She said: "The students would all require induction orientation programmes. "I cannot give a 'when' yet. The trust's position is the same - that we will reopen when it is safe to do so. But it is still a bit up in the air." But campaigner Rebecca Randall, who is expecting to give birth this month, said: "I am just really disappointed. We were led to believe that once the midwives were appointed The Grange would be reopened. She never talked about this six-month period. "We will continue to campaign so that it does open as soon as possible. We are still meeting with members of the hospital trust and the PCT regularly and have already got 4,300 signatures on our petition. In the end we want them to promise a date." To join the campaign email: [email protected]">[email protected]
