Nottingham: Home birth service suspended as bosses begin review

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is reviewing its home birth service

A hospital trust has temporarily suspended its home birth service to allow a review to take place.

Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) confirmed on Friday that the service was suspended while bosses looked at how it is staffed and supported.

The service has operated a limited day service since April 2020 but the trust wants to offer one that operates for 24 hours a day.

The service will be suspended for one month.

The trust's leadership board has planned a further discussion on 13 February.

'Disappointing'

A trust spokesperson says the period of suspension will "enable us to review the changing patterns of home birth needs locally and nationally and ensure that we have a sustainable model which offers clarity and safety to our patients and staff".

They added: "We have been operating a limited day time service since April 2020 in order to try and provide for those mothers who express a preference for home birth within the parameters of our current staffing, but believe now is the right time to assess that model as we work towards introducing a full 24 hours home birth service.

"Recruitment is under way for a full home birth team who will provide support 24 hours a day, and it remains our aim to offer this full service that our communities have told us they want.

"We know that this will be disappointing for mothers and families hoping to be supported to have a home birth in this period but our priority is to ensure a safe service for mothers, babies and clinical teams."

Donna Ockenden is running the largest maternity review in NHS history

The suspension of the service is taking place against the backdrop of an ongoing review of Nottingham's maternity services by senior midwife Donna Ockenden.

Ms Ockeden is examining how dozens of babies died or were injured at NUH, which runs maternity units at the Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital.

Families say concerns should have been acted on sooner, and the police revealed plans for a criminal inquiry back in September.