29/07/04

Midwives, managers and nurses across the Trust worked extremely hard to secure the midwifery-led service at Bishop Auckland. The alternative was no service at all, and that was not felt to be an option that was fair to the women of Bishop Auckland and the surrounding area.

While the loss of high-risk services at Bishop Auckland was not welcomed by all, it was felt that a midwifery-led service could be an attractive alternative for women with low risk pregnancies.

Far from being a "downgrading", as you describe it, the midwifery-led service is one that celebrates the normality of childbirth and uses the skills of the midwives to their fullest potential.

This system has been successful throughout the UK for many years. Since opening in May, the unit has delivered more than 80 babies. Parents say the unit is exemplary.

Your recent coverage of the tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of two babies and one early miscarriage does nothing to promote the excellent work going on. Your coverage was at best misleading and at worst downright scandalmongering, a tactic expected of the tabloids to sell newspapers.

We should expect more from our local newspaper - at least an accurate depiction of the facts.

Due to the sensitive nature of the cases, the Trust could not defend itself for fear of being insensitive to the grieving families.

It is a sad fact of life that babies die, and will continue to do so despite the best efforts of the professionals looking after them. Sensationalising every tragic case in this way only traumatises all concerned and fuels anger and fear in the local community.

The maternity service needs support from the local community; and our local paper should be the backbone of that support. It should not resort to negative reporting at every available opportunity. - Local resident and healthcare worker.

Editor's note: We normally do not publish anonymous letters but have made an exception because this is such an important issue within the community. We would have liked an opportunity to discuss the matter with the writer, and would have pointed out that it would have been a gross dereliction of our duty to the community if we had failed to report these stories: a brand new hospital with a midwife-led service sending a high-risk mother-to-be on a 12-mile journey - during which the baby is lost - in a private car to fully equipped Darlington Memorial, and a 14-year-old being given her stillborn foetus to take home with her in a bottle.

In both cases, the Trust has apologised to the families concerned.

It might have been easier for the Trust had these stories not become public knowledge, but we believe that by accurately reporting them we have caused the maternity service to review its procedures. Because of that we sincerely hope that no family ever has to endure similar treatment.

Finally, rather than sensationalising the stories, they have been published with the permission of the individuals involved and, unlike other national newspapers, we protected the anonymity of the 14-year-old.

SCHOOLS: A SPOKESWOMAN for the Emmanuel Schools Foundation defended the high expulsion rate of King's Academy in Middlesbrough by saying it was a very special school in that it replaced three comprehensives "that had to be closed" (Echo, July 24).

This sounds like the blame is being passed to the schools that it replaced.

Coulby Newham was a successful school. Its Ofsted reports of March 1995 and December 2000 revealed a wellmanaged school where most of the teaching was good, very good or excellent and where pupils were happy and secure.

In September 2002, Her Majesty's Inspectorate reported that the school was even better than at its last inspection.

Standards had improved by encouraging pupils to work harder and to better effect.

Pupils were keen to learn and followed instructions willingly.

The school was succeeding in steadily raising pupils' attainment. Indeed, the current Year 11 at the Academy includes Coulby Newham School pupils who achieved outstanding results in Key Stage 3 Sats. - Gordon Potter, ex-Deputy Headteacher of Coulby Newham School, Newcastle.

A HURWORTH councillor suggests that the continuing federation between Hurworth and Eastbourne schools in Darlington is "dragging Hurworth down" (Echo, July 19).

I feel very strongly about this as I have a grandson at Eastbourne. He is very clever, achieved very good Sats results and his report shows he is continuing to do well. He would equal many of the top pupils at Hurworth.

There will be pupils of equal academic and behavioural standards at both schools.

Indeed, many pupils at both schools will have attended the same primary and junior schools. Do those pupils who go to Eastbourne suddenly change while those at Hurworth do no wrong?

Many of the staff and pupils and parents at Eastbourne are putting in efforts to change the image of the school but such comments as those made by Councillor Roderick Burtt undermine this.

Children have to want to learn.

Providing the right stimulation is vital. All children have the right to a good education.

Children are all of mixed abilities and each should be encouraged to do their best.

They should be given the same value and not be made to feel that because they attend Eastbourne they are second class compared to pupils elsewhere. - M Hart, Darlington.

NORTHUMBRIA: I SYMPATHISE with Ian Jamieson's confusion over One Northeast's use of the name Northumbria (HAS, July 23).

He asks when County Durham and Tees Valley became part of Northumbria. The answer is in the 6th century, when Bernicia and Deira were amalgamated to form the kingdom of Northumbria, ruled from Bamburgh and stretching from the Humber all the way to the Firth of Forth. It also took in part of north Lancashire with a coastline from the Lune estuary to the Leven.

Northumbria was broken up in the 9th century and the name survived only in history books.

Unfortunately, a few years ago, those bright people in the tourist industry revived it as a brand name to promote the area from the Tweed to Teesside, presumably because it sounded vaguely historic and didn't have the negative connotations of "The North-East" (cold weather and decaying industries).

The police service did not help when it selected the name "Northumbria Police" for a force covering just the counties of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. Then, predictably, once the name was brought back into the public eye, people started saying "Northumbria" when they meant "Northumberland" and vice versa.

And will the regional assembly be called "Northumbria"? Yes, probably - unless we vote against it! - Ian Forsyth, Durham.