'On demand' midwives may return to Stafford County Hospital

Midwife-led birth units were suspended at County Hospital in Stafford due to the pandemic

Births may resume at Stafford County Hospital with "on demand" midwives, an NHS Trust said.

Maternity services at the hospital were suspended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) has launched a survey as it prepares to reinstate some services.

One option it is considering is "on demand midwife-led units" which would only be staffed when expectant mothers were in need.

County Hospital previously operated a Freestanding Birthing Unit (FMBU) and before it closed due to Covid-19, only eight babies a month were being born there.

Hospital bosses said midwives, who were redeployed to the Royal Stoke Hospital for the pandemic, felt "under utilised" at Stafford with so few births.

Prior to the pandemic, only eight babies a month were being born at County Hospital in Stafford

The pandemic has shown "we need to work differently", Heather Johnstone, director of nursing and quality for Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent CCGs, said.

"We are considering an on-demand proposal that means the midwife-led birth units would be available 24/7 but not staffed permanently as before," she said.

"Midwives would attend the unit when a birth is expected."

UHNM is asking locals who have used their maternity and antenatal services to provide feedback while future plans are under consideration.

It is hoped that the next steps will be implemented towards the end of the year, but the Trust's chief executive, Tracey Bullock, said it may be delayed while medical staff tackle the Delta variant.

"For all our women having babies, we want them to be able to choose but that choice needs to be from a service that is safe, sustainable and high quality," she said.