'Why I chose Malton' (From Gazette & Herald)

'Why I chose Malton'

A mum-to-be from York who has chosen to have her baby at Malton Hospital has spoken out against plans which could see the maternity unit shut.

Kate West, from Heworth, said she was horrified to learn that NHS Healthcare Trust bosses are looking to modernise the service - and are considering permanently closing maternity care in the town as one of three options.

The 34-year-old communications support worker, who is expecting her first baby in the next few days, said the Malton unit was exactly what her and her husband Paul Sammut were looking for.

"I found out about it from my ante-natal class, which is run by the National Childbirth Trust - the teacher just mentioned Malton as another service that we could use," she said.

"I have lived in York for three years and I don't really know Malton very well - I didn't even know there was a hospital there.

"After I heard it in the class, I asked my midwife about it and she was really positive about it which was great."

Kate said she and Paul visited the staff at the hospital before choosing Malton above York as where they wanted to go.

"They answered all the questions we wanted to know and gave us both an awful lot of confidence.

"I think the most important thing they told us was that they don't see pregnant women as ill, it's the most natural thing in the world."

But she said it was frustrating that more mothers did not know the unit was available to them if they fell into the low-risk birth category.

She said: "They just seemed so flexible, they really want to meet your needs rather than tell you what to do.

"But why had I not been given this choice in the first place?"

Updated: 10:44 Wednesday, January 08, 2003