Birth unit to remain shut until autumn

CHELTENHAM Hospital’s maternity unit is to remain closed until the autumn due to

“extreme” staffing pressures.

Health chiefs say the continued temporary closure of the Aveta Birthing Unit is in response to “extreme staffing pressures in midwifery” and is necessary to ensure services “remain safe”.

High sickness levels including Covid-related and non-Covid sickness combined with a national shortage of midwives means that staffing levels remain very challenging.

The situation will be reviewed again in the autumn, bosses say.

Professor Mark Pietroni, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust interim chief executive, said: “Staffing levels across our maternity services continue to be extremely challenging and a significant proportion of our midwives are absent either due to Covid-related or non-Covid sickness.

“We recognise that the Aveta Birthing Unit is a much-loved and valued service which our patients and the public hold in high regard.”

He added: “However, it must be our priority to ensure a safe birthing experience for all service users and to do this, we need to redeploy our midwives to alternative locations to ensure we can continue to provide safe, one-to-one care.”

Other midwifery services, including planned antenatal care, will continue at Cheltenham Hospital.

The Gloucester birth unit and the main delivery suite at the Women’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (GRH) will continue to operate along with all services at Stroud Maternity Unit.

Prof Pietroni added: “Despite these significant pressures we continue to provide a midwiferyled service at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Stroud Maternity as well as providing continued support for home births.

“While we appreciate that this decision may be very difficult for women, birthing people and the families that we care for, we wanted to be open, honest and clear about the challenges and the impact that staffing challenges are having on service provision.

“We also want to reiterate our long-term commitment to the Cheltenham Unit.”

He continued: “This temporary change will be reviewed again in the autumn when we expect that planned recruitment will allow reopening in October.

“We will, of course, communicate any further changes at this point.”