Birthing pools to return after funding secured

Birthing pools will soon be reinstated at two hospitals in Sussex after funding was secured to replace them.

The birthing pool at Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath has not been operational since September, while the pool at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton was decommissioned in July.

On Thursday, Emma Chambers, director of midwifery for University Hospitals Sussex, said almost £80,000 had been received to replace both pools.

She said: "We're absolutely devastated not to be able to offer water birth to women and people wanting to use our service and we're really very sorry for that."

The use of the pools was suspended due to infection control concerns, Ms Chambers said.

She explained that the closures had caused "a lot of anxiety and upset" for both staff and those hoping to use the pools.

New mothers and pregnant women in Sussex had told the BBC of their frustrations about the pools being out of service.

Alice Stride, who gave birth to her baby Evie in October, said she felt she had been "robbed of the birth she wanted".

Alice Stride was planning a water birth at PRH but was told two days before the pool was unavailable

The new pools are expected to take between six and eight weeks to arrive.

In the meantime, the trust was trying to find a temporary fix for the pool at PRH.

Pools are also available in Worthing, Chichester, Eastbourne and Crowborough.

Ms Chambers said: "We're really terribly sorry that we are not able to offer water birth at Brighton and Haywards Heath at the moment, but the situation is going to be resolved as soon as we possibly can."