Temporary closure for maternity unit after warning

Yeovil's maternity unit will be closed for six months

A hospital's birthing service is to close for six months amid a warning from the health watchdog about its paediatric service.

Yeovil District Hospital was served a warning notice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It comes after a series of earlier critical reports on Somerset's maternity services.

The statement on the paediatric service said the warning was issued "for failing to meet the regulations related to staffing and governance systems".

It means from Monday 19th May at 17:00 BST, the only maternity unit in Somerset left fully open is at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital. There are also units in Bath and Dorchester.

Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital's maternity services were both criticised in a CQC report in May 2024

The paediatric staffing problems are understood to have a knock-on for maternity services which have resulted in the temporary closure of birthing services at Yeovil.

Other maternity services, like antenatal appointments, are expected to continue at Yeovil during the six month period.

More than 1,200 babies were born at Yeovil District Hospital last year, with 3,000 births at Musgrove Park Hospital.

The Care Quality Commission inspected paediatric services in January 2025 and issued a Section 29A warning notice because it assessed that the paediatric care at Yeovil District Hospital requires significant improvement.

'A very difficult decision'

Dr Melanie Iles, Chief Medical Officer for the trust, said: "This is a very difficult decision that we have not taken lightly and I want to personally say sorry to local people who are affected by these temporary closures."

"We currently have high levels of sickness amongst senior paediatricians which has caused big gaps in our rota.

"We are not able to support the special care birthing unit in the same way and therefore we must close it temporarily on safety grounds.

"This directly impacts on the Yeovil District Hospital inpatient maternity service because we cannot care for any newborns who require care in a Special Care Baby Unit or safely provide care during labour and birth at the Yeovil Maternity Unit."

Maternity campaigner and mum Annie Tombs said the news will have "a profound effect" on people giving birth in Somerset

The news of the birthing services closure comes a year after a critical report into maternity services at both hospitals in Somerset.

The watchdog found there was expired milk in a fridge at Musgrove Park and criticised staff in Yeovil for not washing their hands when entering clinical areas.

The CQC acknowledged staff at the trust were "keen to improve the services and some of the problems were out of local leaders' control".

Annie Tombs, who's a maternity campaigner in Somerset said: "This announcement is shocking. I am speechless.

"I've been contacted by mums who are 20 weeks pregnant and due to give birth in Yeovil - what are they are going to do?"

Yeovil MP Adam Dance said the closure of the maternity unit closure was "unacceptable"

Adam Dance, Lib Dem MP for Yeovil said: "I am extremely concerned by the decision to close Yeovil Maternity Unit — even if the Trust says it is temporary.

"Moving all services to Taunton, where staff have already raised concerns about not having enough capacity to manage their own patient load, is deeply troubling.

"This isn't just about buildings and services. It's about trust and right now, that trust has been badly damaged.

"I will keep pushing for a full explanation from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Somerset. Our Yeovil community cannot afford to lose this service for good."

A report to a Somerset Council health scrutiny committee this week said the Trust had made "significant progress", completing 92% of all improvement actions outlined in the CQC maternity inspection reports.