A top health health boss has sought to reassure pregnant women they will be safe travelling to Carlisle to give birth – but would not go as far as giving a personal guarantee that nobody will die.

The News & Star yesterday pressed Sir Neil McKay to give an assurance that downgrading Whitehaven’s consultant-led maternity unit would not result in the unnecessary deaths of mother and babies.

In an exclusive interview, the Success Regime boss said: “What I can tell you is that every possible attempt to eliminate risk will be made. We will be guided by clinical opinion.”

But when pushed to give a personal guarantee to mothers, he said he could not go that far.

“I understand why people are concerned and it is possible to implement safeguards. There is no such thing as an absolute guarantee,” he said.

However he added that national, regional and local experts and professional bodies are telling them that the current situation is not safe or sustainable.

“I’m not prepared to preside over a set of plans that experts are saying are putting people at risk,” he asked.

Sir Neil admitted he thinks it unlikely that the West Cumberland Hospital will be able to retain consultants on site 24/7 for this reason – because ultimately they can’t get the doctors needed to make it safe.

But he said they do want to find a middle ground. Instead they are looking at a full time midwife-led unit with consultant support from 8am to 8pm to carry out assessments, planned caesarean sections and inductions.

However any complex cases would most likely go to Carlisle – with a dedicated ambulance factored in to transport them.

“Maternity has bothered us from the start. I promise we’ve not left any stone unturned. There was a view we should move all births to Carlisle but we weren’t happy with that,” he said.

Sir Neil said he has listened to the community and understands the strength of feeling, but said that all attempts to address the shortage of doctors – including offering extra pay and calling on national bodies to help – have so far failed to make a consultant-led unit viable.

“At the moment I do not see how it’s possible. I’m not saying that’s the final decision.

I can’t bring obstericians in from nowhere,” he said.

He accepted that the Carlisle unit would need to expand to make the changes possible, and said they are budgeting to do that.

Ultimately he said it would take time to reassure mothers, but believes services will become safer and more sustainable long term.