THE MP for the Holsworthy area, Sir Geoffrey Cox, has confirmed all parties are working hard to bring the temporary suspension of maternity services at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple to an end — despite locals claiming he ‘isn’t getting involved’.

Although the hospital does not sit within his constituency, North Cornwall’s Ben Maguire has been vocal about the issue, writing alongside MP for the area [North Devon] Ian Roome to the Secretary of State to organise an urgent meeting to discuss the situation.

Locals were quick to point out they hadn’t heard from the Devon MP Sir Geoffrey Cox on the matter, whose Torridge and Tavistock constituents would be equally impacted by the lose of this service.

In response to our article ‘MP calls for action to reopen maternity services’ in which Mr Maguire voiced concerns that the suspension of services is a 'matter of grave concern', James Burn said: “Ian Roome totally on the case unlike Geoffrey Cox.”

While Colin Paddon added: “Wow, good man! An MP from another constituency getting involved! No sign of the MP for Torridge and West Devon though.”

However, Sir Geoffrey has confirmed he too wrote to the Secretary of State calling for more to be done to reopen maternity services at North Devon District Hospital, and has been left “disappointed” that he is yet to receive a response.

Sir Geoffrey told us: "I have continued to receive correspondence from concerned families and expectant mothers regarding the temporary suspension of maternity services at North Devon District Hospital, and I fully appreciate the anxiety and uncertainty this is causing. Given the urgency of the situation, I am in constant dialogue with the Trust, but I remain disappointed that I have yet to receive a response to my letter to the Secretary of State.

“The Trust continues to hold weekly stakeholder updates. I was encouraged to hear that progress is being made both in securing additional locum support for maternity services at North Devon District Hospital and in identifying prospective candidates for permanent consultant posts.

“There is, of course, still considerable work to be done. The usual recruitment processes and clinical safeguards must be completed before any appointments can be confirmed, and these developments represent only the first step towards restoring services. Nevertheless, all parties are working hard to bring this temporary suspension to an end as quickly as possible. I shall continue to demand that as a minimum.

“It is essential that any solution not only enables services to resume safely but also provides the resilience necessary to ensure that we do not find ourselves facing a similar situation again in the future.”

He also praised the work of staff, having recently visited the hospital’s Ladywell Unit, which houses key services for women, children, and families.

He added: “In May this year, I visited the Ladywell Unit and saw first-hand the professionalism, dedication and commitment of the staff who provide this vital service. I will continue to keep constituents informed of developments as they arise.”