Gloucestershire maternity units still shut after staff shortages

Women either have to go home 12 hours after giving birth, or are sent to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital if they need further help

Maternity services in Gloucestershire will remain shut for months because of staff shortages, it has been confirmed.

The Aveta Birth Unit in Cheltenham and Stroud's post-natal facilities are not expected to re-open until at least October, bosses say.

The announcement by Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust means women will have been unable to use the services for more than a year.

Maternity campaigners say new mothers are not getting support they need.

Postnatal beds at Stroud Maternity Unit are suspended

The trust said it had a long-term commitment to both units, but they cannot reopen safely at the moment.

The Aveta unit has been shut since last June and Stroud's six postnatal beds have been closed since September.

It means new mothers are forced to go home 12 hours after giving birth, or if they have medical needs being sent to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Kate Buckingham is chair of Stroud Maternity Matters

Kate Buckingham, from Stroud Maternity Matters, said: "Women just aren't getting that support in the early hours after their baby is back home.

"We've seen a real rise in the number of women having to access local volunteer run groups in order to have time learning to breast feed and get support."

Alix Gidman, who had two of her children at the Cheltenham unit in 2012 and 2018, said the problems mean new mothers in the area have few options open to them.

"The resources and restrictions on funding etc, just means that we're getting less and less choice," she said.

"There shouldn't be a one size fits all, we should be having choice."

Gloucestershire NHS Trust said midwife retention remains incredibly challenging due to a combination of factors

But Matt Holdaway, chief nurse at the trust, said there were no plans to close the services.

"While the measures that we have taken are far from ideal, they have enabled us to deliver a safe service," he said.

"The safety of all babies, women and birthing people remains the guiding principle behind these difficult decisions."

The Aveta unit is closed to labour and births but continues to provide antenatal care services.

At Stroud, six postnatal care beds are temporarily closed while the unit remains open for labour, births and postnatal provision for up to 12 hours after birth.

Bosses say that work is likely to start soon on developing the Aveta unit, as part of a £2.7m refurbishment that is due to be completed by spring next year.