A woman from Somerset has told ITV News she cried after finding out that the hospital she's due to give birth at within weeks is shutting part of its maternity service.Yeovil District Hospital is stopping births at its maternity unit from Monday evening because of concerns over safety of care.

In a statement the hospital trust said it 'cannot currently safely run the unit' or 'safely provide care during labour and birth'.

The temporary closure comes after maternity services at the hospital were by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), last year.

The hospital was served a warning notice "for failing to meet the regulations related to staffing and governance systems" following the CQC inspection.

From Monday 19 May at 5pm, the only maternity unit in Somerset remaining fully operational will be at Taunton's Musgrove Park hospital, with alternatives available in Bath and Dorchester.

Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil Adam Dance described the impending closure as "devastating".

"The closure of this unit at such short notice could have devastating consequences for expectant parents and vulnerable babies.

"They will be forced to use already stretched services ten miles away and I, like so many of my constituents who have already been in contact, are deeply fearful this could leave families in turmoil.

"We need to see some real leadership through this crisis and the relevant authorities stepping up to ensure that no one suffers unnecessarily as a result of this shambolic situation."

The Yeovil unit currently supports more than 1,200 births annually.

Other maternity services, including antenatal appointments, are expected to continue at Yeovil during the six-month closure period.

Local mothers attending a local NCT class shared their worries about the temporary closure.

One mother told us: "I can honestly say they (Yeovil Maternity unit) saved my daughter's life. It's scary for new mums to not have those facilities there and to have to go elsewhere for care."

Another expressed concern about accessibility: "Parents need to be able to get to hospital, stress-free to make the birth as positive as possible."

With the impending closure, there are significant concerns about capacity at other maternal units, with one mother adding: "I'm worried about the knock-on effect on the already stretched maternity services and emergency services."

In a statement the trust's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Melanie Iles, said: “This is a very difficult decision that we have not taken lightly.

"We have made it after careful consideration, and a clinical assessment of those services, in discussion withNHS partners. I want to personally say sorry to local people who are affected by these temporary closures.”

“These temporary closures have come about as a result of concerns about our care for babies and children at YDH.

"The Care Quality Commission inspected our paediatric services in January and issued a Section 29A warning notice because it assessed that the paediatric care we provide at YDH requires significantimprovement.

"We also currently have high levels of sickness amongst senior paediatricians which has caused big gaps in our rota.

“Senior paediatricians from Musgrove Park Hospital are supporting the service at YDH, to ensure that paediatric inpatient and outpatient services at YDH are open for those who need them. However, we are not able to support the SCBU in the same way and therefore we must close it temporarily on safety grounds.

"This directly impacts on the YDH inpatient maternity service because we cannot care for any newborns who require care in a Special Care Baby Unit or safely provide care during labour and birth at the Yeovil Maternity Unit.

“Most services remain open, and we are working with neighbouring NHS trusts and the Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership to ensure that pregnant women, birthing people and their newborn babies receive the care and support they need.”

“We are committed to providing safe, high quality and sustainable services for those who need them, but we must address these concerns and need the time and space to do this. I apologise again to anyone who is affected by these changes.”