MUMS-to-be were turned away from maternity units run by Pennine Acute Hospital Trust 17 times because of staff shortages, new figures show.

The trust, which governs Fairfield Hospital, runs maternity units in Royal Oldham Hospital and North Manchester, which are used by mums-to-be in Bury after Fairfield's maternity unit controversially shut in 2012 in in the face of widespread opposition.

It closed under’Making it Better’ proposals.

Royal Oldham Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, and Royal Bolton became centres of excellence under the shake-up designed at streamlining specialist skills and aimed at preventing unexpected closures caused by staff shortages.

Royal Bolton Hospital, which is also used by mums in Bury, was closed three times with mums-to-be being diverted.

Simon Mehigan, Divisional Director Midwifery and Gynaecology at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group for The Royal Oldham and North Manchester General Hospitals, said:"Last year we helped deliver around 9,000 babies across our two maternity units at The Royal Oldham and North Manchester General Hospitals.

"Patient safety is our number one priority and so when we are forced to temporarily close our labour wards and redirect patients to our other site or a neighbouring hospital, this is only ever done to ensure the safety of the women we provide care to.

"The decision is made by senior midwifery and medical staff and as part of our escalation plans either due to unprecedented levels of activity or staff sickness. Further investment in our staffing, successful recruitment of more midwives, and changes in how we use our staff and our physical beds has meant we have only had to close our maternity service once since January of this year."

A spokesman for the Royal Bolton Hospital said: "The maternity unit is never completely closed, but instead diverts women safely and in a planned way for the shortest period of time to the nearest maternity unit when it is appropriate to do so; such as when we experience a high demand for our services or we are dealing with very complex cases. We take this option as a last resort, however on the very rare occasions that this has been done, it has been in the best interest and safety of our women to divert any unplanned admissions in order to maintain high quality safe care."

Closing the unit means not accepting any unplanned admissions during that short time. The hospital does not discharge any patients already in its care or stop planned admissions.

Proposals to close Fairfield Hospital's maternity wing were greeted with widespread anger and a campaign was started to save it. In 2009 the then Shadow Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley, said he would stop the move "within days" if the Tories come into power.

The Royal College of Midwives’ latest estimate is that the NHS in England has a national shortage of 3,500 midwives.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Health, said: "Expectant mothers deserve reassurance that the local maternity unit will be there for them when needed.

"Every pregnant women turned away from a maternity unit due to staff shortages and shortages of beds and cots deserves an apology from Government ministers for the years of Tory cuts, deliberate under resourcing and mismanagement of the NHS. Mothers and babies deserve better than this."