An MP and midwives have launched a scathing attack on NHS chiefs over the abrupt closure of the only maternity unit in the borough with the highest birthrate in London.
Campaigners have warned that shutting the Barking Birth Centre puts women at risk and erodes public trust.
From June 30, all births and urgent maternity care will be diverted from Barking Community Hospital to Newham Hospital five miles away in Plaistow.
This is despite the hospital, which delivers more than 400 babies a month, being rated as "requires improvement" during its last inspection in 2021.
The Care Quality Commission highlighted that medical professionals at Newham Hospital were not up to date with mandatory maternity training.
The watchdog also revealed that safety champions — who play a crucial role in sharing best practices and driving improvements in patient outcomes — “were not visible”.
Barts Health NHS Trust decided to shut the birth unit in response to a fall in the birthrate in Barking and Dagenham, having delivered just three babies per month.
Despite this, official figures show Barking and Dagenham still has the highest total fertility rate (TFR) of anywhere in London, with two children per woman.
That is 11% higher than the next closest, Redbridge and Harrow (1.77), and a third more than the average for England and Wales (1.44).
Nesil Caliskan, Labour MP for Barking, described the closure as “unfair” and criticised officials for ending the service without consultation.
She told The Standard: “Expecting mothers in Barking & Dagenham deserve to give birth in a safe, local facility. Instead, the local NHS are proposing to direct pregnant women outside our borough, to Newham Hospital which is currently rated ‘requires improvement’.
“This indicates the scale of the problem for maternity services and the appalling state they have been left in by the previous Government.”
Ms Caliskan, who was elected at the last general election, added: “It is unfair that improving services in Newham Hospital mean cuts to areas like Barking, where my constituents are already underserved by the NHS and have some of the worst health inequalities in London.
“I have already raised my concerns in Parliament and I will continue to make representations to the local NHS.”
One midwife, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of speaking out, described the process of closing the birth centre as a “mess”.
Staff at the birth centre have volunteered to transition over to Newham Hospital’s maternity unit or provide antenatal and postnatal care at the Barking Community Centre.
In a letter sent to birthing centre staff and seen by The Standard, Newham Hospital’s chief executive Simon Ashton said: “We recognise this change may be concerning to some patients, families and community groups.
“We are committed to listening and responding to feedback.”
He added: “This is not a closure of the centre — but a temporary pause to births so that we can better match our care model to current needs.
“We are also looking at how we can strengthen and expand our maternity services in the longer term, and welcome ongoing dialogue with you and our communities as we plan for the future.”
Around one in six maternity units in England have closed in the past decade. Those that have closed their doors permanently in the last decade include the maternity units at Ealing Hospital and Royal Free Hospital.
Barts Health NHS Trust was contacted for comment.
