Home birth suspension extended for six months

Mothers who were planning on giving birth at home are being contacted by the trust

A hospital trust has extended its suspension of home births by at least six months due to safety concerns over staffing levels.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced on 6 November it would be suspending home births for two weeks after staff raised worries over late working.

That suspension has now been extended into 2026 following a review and risk assessment, the trust announced on Tuesday.

Heather Gallagher, interim director of midwifery at the trust, said the extension would allow for retraining and "a new model of care delivery to be designed and implemented".

The trust previously said it has struggled to find cover for the on-call home birth service at night without using staff who had already worked a full day shift, which they said could be unsafe.

It said this week it had identified areas where changes need to be made to ensure community care can be provided "safely and equitably" in Gloucestershire.

But, despite the suspension of home births, Ms Gallagher said the trust had seen an increase in the number of requests to support births at home "against medical advice".

"We need to review our current guidelines, standards and processes to fully inform and support the choices and preferences of women and birthing people requesting to birth outside of guidance," she said.

Women and families who planned to give birth at home are being contacted and midwives are discussing birthing options with them.