Hospital trust suspends home birth service after staff raise safety concerns

A hospital trust has suspended home births for two weeks after staff raised safety concerns.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it was possible the suspension could be extended while a new staffing model is developed.

Home births account for fewer than 2% of births, totalling between four and six home births per month, in the county.

In a statement, the trust said: “The trust has taken the decision to suspend home births for two weeks, following safety concerns raised by our staff.

“Home births are intended for low-risk deliveries, but when complications arise, it can become unsafe for both mother and baby.

“During this pause, we are working on a risk assessment and options to find a balance between supporting choices for giving birth and managing the staffing levels to maintain safe care across the whole maternity service.

“Whilst this is a short pause, it is possible that it could lead to a longer suspension of the home birth service while we develop a new staffing model.”

It added that it was “finding it hard” to cover the on-call home birth service at night without risking staff working after a full day shift, which could be unsafe.

More midwives have been recruited to the trust’s main service over the past two years.

However, it said it had not been able to increase home birth teams as these require “significant skills and experience” due to the degree of autonomy required to support women at home during labour.

Community midwives will continue to provide antenatal care in the community, with midwife-led care provided at Stroud Maternity Hospital and Gloucester Birth Unit.

The statement added: “We have already contacted women and families who have told us they planned to give birth at home during this time, and our midwives have talked through the options with them individually.

“We know this will be disappointing for those who were planning a home birth, and we are sorry that this is not possible at this time.

“Our focus is always on ensuring the safety of our services and at times this means difficult decisions about where and how we provide care.”

Midwives and maternity support workers will continue to provide care and support at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Stroud Maternity Hospital, it confirmed.