Maternity crisis splits triplets

Triplets born eight weeks premature had to be taken to separate hospitals, 48 hours after birth, because of a shortage of cots in a maternity unit.

The babies were born at Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, on 11 March. But, later, one was taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon.

Another went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, resulting in a 140 mile round trip for the parents.

Addenbrooke's Hospital has said its maternity services run under pressure.

'Intensely pressurised'

Tina Pollard, the clinical services manager for neo natal services at Addenbrooke's, said: "We have over 5,000 births here at Addenbrooke's in a year.

"Of that you can expect at least 10% to require some kind of neonatal care.

"We have 17 cots that provide intensive and high dependency care and then I have 10 cots that provide special care, so you can imagine we are intensely pressurised the whole time.

"We've also got issues around our neonatal staffing levels and we are working with the Department of Health on that."

'Not surprised'

The government has said maternity units sometimes have to take action because it is hard to predict demand.

The children's parents have not commented on the situation.

Shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, the MP for South Cambridgeshire, said he was not surprised at the news.

"We are hundreds, perhaps a thousand, nurses short in supporting intensive care across the country. We have had a 12% increase in live births in the last five years," he said.

"You can't just magic extra capacity, you have to plan for this."