Labour councillors celebrate at the Whittington after the decision to keep hospital’s maternity unit open

LABOUR councillors could be seen punching the air and cheering as they celebrated the decision to keep the Whittington’s maternity unit open.

The decision to carry on with births at the Archway hospital was confirmed at a meeting of the North London Integrated Care Board on Tuesday and follows a year-long consultation on how to improve services in the area.

But the political celebrations and placard waving in the forecourt on Tuesday was described as “odd” as the Whittington’s service had never been the likely choice to be chosen for cuts and the see-saw shake-up has led to the axing of the maternity unit at the Royal Free in Hampstead.

During the consultation survey, residents and health professionals had been given the option to respond on which of the two should be closed. NHS chiefs cited the falling birthrate in north London and a lack of staff for the need to make changes and that the current set-up was unsustainable.

Whittington Hospital

Council leader Una O’Halloran said: “Islington Labour Party campaigned for this option, which realistically saved it. We’ve always been on the side of Islington, and we continue to do that, making sure that we’ve got our maternity unit kept open in Islington.”

She added: “This is Islington Labour who got this, like the number 4 bus, we’re the ones out doing all the petitions – so we need to take the credit for this. It’s nothing to do with the council elections, Islington Labour is on your side.”

The boroughwide council elections are now little more than a year away and they will be the first since 2010 to be held under a Labour national government.

Long-time NHS campaigner Shirley Franklin, who played a leading role in the campaign to save the Whittington in 2010, said the celebrations outside the hospital were “shocking”.

She added: “Shame on them. Our campaign was always for the hospital, but also for the wider area. It’s so NIMBY. It’s absolutely tragic that they would celebrate the closure of any maternity unit, which is effectively what they’re doing. The Labour councillors should be going outside the Royal Free and say ‘We’re going to fight against this closure.’”

The chairman of the Royal Free, Mark Lam, had told the ICB’s board that shutting its unit down was a mistake and the meeting heard questions about whether funding for the wider overhaul would ever be seen.

A shake-up has led to the axing of the maternity unit at the Royal Free in Hampstead

Hampstead and Highgate MP Tulip Siddiq called for the service to be saved. Health professionals have warned it will leave gaps in services for more complicated births, and concerns have been raised in the Jewish community that a traditional go-to option is being lost.

Islington North MP Jerermy Corbyn lamented its closure last week as he celebrated the survival of the service at the Whittington.

The consultation did not give the option to keep both units open.

Labour councillor Flora Williamson, Islington’s health and social care chief, said: “Obviously a lot of consultations you are presented with options, there were multiple options given on this one. If people have alternatives, then they need to come up with alternatives, but as Islington Labour party we’ll always campaign to keep our hospitals open, keep the Whittington open, support UCLH, because that’s where most Islington residents go.”

Benali Hamdache, leader of the Green group in the Town Hall, said that the reaction from Labour councillors to the decision was “odd”. He told the Tribune: “I think it’s odd for Labour councillors to be celebrating saving anything when a Labour government have just shut down the maternity ward at the Royal Free.

“It was always quite clear that the Whittington maternity unit was never at risk because it had just been invested in. What is clear is that the Labour party has failed to save the maternity service at the Royal Free.”