Midwives Given Grove Park Access Restriction Exemption
The midwife team at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Trust. Picture: C&W Hospital NHS FT
June 18, 2023
Community midwives have been given exemption from the traffic restrictions introduced by Hounslow Council in Grove Park.
After the traffic measures were originally introduced a number of them received Penalty Charge Notices while driving to visit patients. Most of the Chiswick area is covered by the Community Midwife Team at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. Their work involves visiting women and babies postnatally in the area and facilitating home births.
Members of the team made representations to Cllr Peter Thompson who raised the matter with the council.
He says that when the midwives appealed the fines they were initially told that their appeals were being rejected as they were not exempt and were in the same category as tradespeople and delivery drivers.
Cllr Thompson stated, "I was horrified to hear the midwives were no longer happy to work in Chiswick as the fines had become unaffordable.
“Community midwives provide essential and often urgent health care to women and their new-borns. I am delighted that the Council has decided to add Community Midwives to the groups currently eligible for exemption such as District Nurses, GPs and Pharmacists.
“The so-called ‘South Chiswick Liveable Neighbourhood Scheme’ has done little to encourage walking or cycling and it has come at the cost of huge community division and higher carbon emissions on surrounding roads.”
The council says that the exemptions for midwives were already set to be granted as part of its extension of free access to carers.
A spokesperson for the council said, “The PCNs in question were cancelled following direct representation by the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital team.
“As part of the wider exemptions for carers we have now formalised midwives to be categorised with the district nurses’ exemption. “
We have asked the
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Trust for comment.
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