A TEENAGE mother's fuming family has blamed the county health shake-up and bed shortages for making 200-mile round hospital trips to see her premature baby.

Victoria Black, 18, who gave birth to a baby 15 weeks early in February, has been in hospital in Liverpool for seven weeks because of a shortage of specialist beds. Her family claim this could have been avoided if she received treatment at Kidderminster Hospital.

Her mother Mary Bowen said: "It's dreadful she has ended up in Liverpool.

"Victoria is a young girl who is very far from home.

"It has been a real strain for us all.

"Basically she was turned away when she was in great need and pain. We feel something has gone wrong and we want some answers."

She added: "Thankfully, it looks like baby Lauren is going to pull through but when I first saw her I thought she wouldn't survive."

Before the hospital was downgraded in September Victoria, of Park Crescent, Stourport, would have gone to accident and emergency and been seen by a specialist.

However, after being referred to the hospital with stomach pains by her GP she was seen by a midwife, who referred her to a doctor at the primary care centre.

She was prescribed tablets and sent home.

Later the same night, February 19th, she was rushed back to the primary care centre in great pain and referred to Ronkswood Hospital, Worcester.

She gave birth to baby Lauren in the early hours the following morning.

Her family were horrified to find Victoria would be transferred to Liverpool Women's Hospital yet if she had gone to Ronkswood the previous night, when she first went to Kidderminster, there would have been a bed in the Midlands.

Dr Richard Horton, of the Health Centre, Worcester Street, Stourport, who referred Victoria to Kidderminster Hospital, declined to comment.

Health Concern prospective parliamentary candidate Dr Richard Taylor said the family's plight reflected both local and national NHS problems.

He said: "There has been a shortage of beds for premature babies nationally for some time.

"However, on a local level the primary care centre should not have been put in that position.

"When a doctor seeks a second opinion he wants a specialist not another doctor.

"Before the hospital was downgraded Victoria would have been referred to A&E and there awaited an obstetric opinion from a gynaecologist or obstetrician.

"This is an awful ordeal for the family to go through and yet another example of the human cost of the health changes."

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust would not comment on the changes at Kidderminster Hospital.

A spokeswoman confirmed Ronkswood did not have facilities for longer-term neo-natal intensive care.

She did not confirm if there was a place for the baby at Birmingham the previous night.

She said Victoria was in labour on arrival at Ronkswood.

And the trust tried to find a bed at the regional centre in Birmingham but no specialised care was available on the night.