FEARS over maternity cover at the region's hospitals have been raised after a woman miscarried following being sent home because no doctors were available.

The woman, from North Yorkshire, wrote about her experience on an NHS forum which allows patients to review services, and said after visiting the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton and James Cook University Hospital (JCUH) in Middlesbrough she was told there were no doctors on a Saturday and advised to go home.

The following morning she miscarried, and told NHS bosses she had felt frightened and that hospital staff had not treated her case seriously.

The case comes at a time of serious concern at maternity and healthcare provision in the region, as Darlington Memorial Hospital’s (DMH) A&E and maternity services are due to go to consultation over their future early next year.

If the unit were to close it would have a severe impact on communities across North Yorkshire and County Durham, with more patients being sent to JCUH.

North Yorkshire County Councillor John Blackie has been campaigning for the retention of the services at DMH after he lost a fight to keep a consultant-led unit at Friarage Hospital.

He said: “The expectant mother's story is very distressing and I feel very sorry for her and the harrowing time she has been through. I am rather surprised and disappointed with the care offered to her at both the Friarage and JCUH, as in my experience both hospitals have a very good track record in midwife-led and consultant-led maternity provision.

“It seems the lack of suitably qualified doctors is the problem, an issue we were told by the local NHS when cutting the consultant-led service at Northallerton would be dealt with by having sufficient consultants on hand at both DMH and JCUH.

“What prospect of a caring and safe maternity service is there if the NHS concentrates all these services at JCUH? If it cannot cope with 4,500 births to the extent there is no qualified doctor on duty on a Saturday, what confidence will it instil in expectant mothers if the number of births doubles to 10,000?”

A spokeswoman for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to this family for the loss of their baby.

“We take reviews and complaints of this nature extremely seriously and having looked into the care this lady received, we have been in contact with her directly and provided feedback on the concerns she raised.

“If this lady would like any more information about the care she received, we would urge her to get in touch.

“Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service is the first point of contact for any patients who wish to raise concerns or complaints, at pals@stees.nhs.uk or 0800-0282451.”