Devon maternity services

That this House is deeply alarmed by the temporary suspension of births at North Devon District Hospital from 11 August 2026, and the redirection of pregnant mothers across Northern Devon and Cornwall to other hospitals; expresses great concern for the safety of babies and mothers travelling up to two hours to give birth, despite the risk of medical complications; recognises the staffing shortfall and recruitment challenge faced by NHS maternity units across the country, particularly in remote and rural areas; notes that maternity services in Barnstaple deliver more than one thousand local births each year, and highlights the added pressure on maternity provision at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital during the suspension; expects the Government to ensure that every family in the UK is within 45 minutes travel time of a fully operational maternity unit; urges the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to expedite hiring procedures to fill vacant consultant roles in gynaecology and obstetrics, to undertake a review of the suspension and work to improve workforce resiliency; and calls on the Board to approve a plan to resume births at North Devon District Hospital at the earliest possible date it is safe to do so.