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An MP has vowed to continue campaigning against cuts to South Tyneside Hospital despite a campaign of “threats or bullying” to silence her.

South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck hit out at cuts to the hospital which have included the closure of maternity services.

Hospital managers say the closure is “temporary”, but have not said when it will be re-opened.

Midwives were still employed at South Tyneside but were “sitting doing admin work when they could be delivering babies,” Mrs Lewell-Buck said.

Meanwhile, expectant mothers were sent to neighbouring hospitals - sometimes paying up to £40 for transport,

But the Labour MP said staff were intimidated into staying silent, while she had been subjected to a campaign designed to make her “toe the line”.

Mrs Lewell-Buck said the changes were part of “the biggest-ever programme from any Government to shut down our NHS once and for all.”

The MP came under fire from Health Minister Philip Dunne, who said: “Frankly, her allegation of conspiracy - trying to paint the issue as some kind of dastardly plot to privatise the health service, for which there is not a shred of evidence -is scaremongering that will undoubtedly alarm residents in her area.”

She had asked for a Commons debate to discuss changes to health services which followed the decision of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust to work together. While they have not officially merged, the two trusts are now managed by a single board.

It is implementing a 5 year “Sustainability and Transformation” plan. Similar plans have been introduced across the country, in an attempt to make £22 billion of efficiency savings nationwide.

Ms Lewell-Buck said: “Make no mistake - these plans are about cuts. They are nothing to do with transforming our NHS for the better.”

South Tyneside’s stroke unit had been closed and moved to Sunderland , she said.

The special care baby unit had closed, and staff from the maternity unit were told on December 3 that it was also closing.

Ms Lewell-Buck said: “Despite many people denouncing me and other campaigners for scaremongering, I have remained firm in my view that from the day the two management teams merged, the plan was to downgrade South Tyneside Hospital and move all our services to Sunderland. But I take no pleasure in being right about this.”

(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

Mothers were being forced to travel to other hospitals to give birth, she said.

“I have been advised that expectant mams are having to find, on average, £40 for each round-trip journey to another hospital in the region when they thought they were due to deliver.

“One woman was sent home after being told she was not in labour by a neighbouring hospital. Once home, and very much in labour, she ended up having a home birth because she simply could not afford another taxi, and ambulance waiting times were too long.”

She said: “I remind those who have tried to silence me, and who have stated publicly that I am a liar ​and tried to bully me into toeing their line, that I put myself forward for public office not to cosy up to others or bow to those in power or vested interests, but to represent the people of Shields no matter how uncomfortable for some that may be.

Mr Dunne told the House of Commons that “reconfiguration of services” in South Tyneside and Northumberland were designed “to remove unnecessary duplication and improve the sustainability of services to ensure that the local population’s healthcare needs are well looked after across the range of activities”.

He said the maternity unit and special care baby unit at South Tyneside had been shut temporarily because a shortage of staff meant they were unsafe.

South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust said Chief Executive Ken Bremner had responded to a number of questions from Mrs Lewell-Buck and invited her for a meeting to discuss why changes to maternity services were necessary.

Dr Sean Fenwick, Director of Operations at South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust said: “The safety of mothers and babies in our care must always come first and we hope people understand why we had to put a temporary halt to births while we try to solve the staffing challenges we face in neonatal care.”