Births to move temporarily amid staff shortages

Births at Crowborough Birthing Unit will stop from 2 October until May next year

Births and all inpatient facilities at a hospital in East Sussex are to stop from 2 October until May due to ongoing staffing shortages, an NHS trust has announced.

Community antenatal and postnatal services will continue at Crowborough Birthing Centre, inside Crowborough War Memorial Hospital, as normal.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, which runs the unit, said it would transfer births to Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone Birth Centre in Kent, with facilities also available in Haywards Heath and Eastbourne.

A trust spokesperson said the closure was a "difficult decision" which would be "disappointing news for the people who are affected".

A trust statement read: "Our priority is to provide safe, high-quality and reliable maternity care for families, and we are working with partners across Kent and Sussex to look at how we deliver a long-term, sustainable service.

"Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone offer high-quality midwifery-led care with access to birthing pools, reflect our dedication to personalised care which supports each person's preferences."

Home births may also be an option following a home birth assessment, the trust said.

Each month, between 10 and 20 babies are born at Crowborough Birthing Centre, and more than 400 in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

A spokesperson for Friends of Crowborough Hospital said: "This closure will cause upset for both mothers planning to have their babies at the unit and be demoralising for the brilliant staff."

Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, has set up a petition against the decision.

In a statement, she said: "The situation is completely unacceptable, and I will be relaying concerns and the strength of feeling to the trust."