Ryde Hospital birthing unit to be scrapped, despite promises it would be reinstated post-Covid

The community was assured its gold standard birthing unit would reopen after Ryde Hospital was redeveloped. Now comes the backflip. And the backlash amid its scrapping. Here’s why.

Once said to be the best in Sydney, the birthing unit at Ryde Hospital has been closed permanently due to low birth rates. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

A popular birthing unit in northern Sydney has been scrapped by the Minns government, in a move labelled by local families as a “disgrace”.

The birthing unit as Ryde Hospital will not reopen after an extensive redevelopment of the site, despite local health authorities originally assuring the community it would not close.

The Ryde Midwifery Group Practice operated for 16 years before its closure in 2020 due to the hospital redevelopment.

Yet earlier this month, the Minns government announced it was scrapping the unit due to a stark drop in births and demand for the service.

“A review of data from that period of time showed a decline in the number of women choosing to give birth under this model of care or who did not meet the criteria for a low-risk pregnancy and birth,” a spokesperson for Northern Sydney Local District said.

Artist impressions of the $479m Ryde Hospital redevelopment.

“Women are able to receive antenatal care at Ryde Hospital from a team of midwives, and then birth at the nearby Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH).”

The decision to close the unit was made by the local health district chief executive in April last year. Yet the community was only alerted to the decision in a government statement on February 17.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said he accepted the advice from NSW Health that there wasn’t sufficient uptake in the service.

“I accept the clinical advice on this issue that there simply is not the demand,” he said.

But local mothers are enraged the service has been scrapped, forcing them to use services at RNSH.

Ryde councillor and mother-of-three, Katie O’Reilly, 36, said the local community had blindsided over the closure.

Pictured outside the hospital are Natalie Tucker and her daughter Molly, 4, Natasha On and her daughter Ruby, 3. Both girls were born at the hospital. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

Local councillor Katie O’Reilly with her sons Alex, 8, Theodore, 12, and Daniel 10, with retired midwife Kathy Lingard. The boys were all born at the hospital and Kathy was on the ward at the time. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

“It’s a disgrace for the community. They promised that they were going to reopen it in the new development and now they have decided that they’re not going to do that,” she said.

“I don’t know what they’re thinking, but a promise is a promise.”

Retired midwife Kathy Lingard, 35, said the community had not been consulted before the decision was made.

“Nobody knew about this. I only happened to find out through an email through the Mums at Ryde who had been supporting us for years and years,” she said.

Another Ryde mum, 40-year-old Natalie Tucker was also distressed by the news of the unit’s closure.

“It’s extremely important to have that support system, especially first time pregnancies. Just not being considered a number and you’re being treated like a person,” she said.

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