Stroud Maternity Statement

Stroud Maternity Hospital is not closing, and there are no plans to close it. The Birth Unit remains open.

As a Trust, we have a responsibility to consider how maternity services are provided for all of Gloucestershire.

Over the past six months, we have been working to safely reinstate the home birth service across the county and to also reopen the midwife‑led Cheltenham Birth Centre.

Taking an evidence-based approach, a recent assessment of the changing needs of women across Gloucestershire shows how demand for services and the nature of that demand has changed significantly over recent years. These changes are not unique to Gloucestershire and are replicated across the country, and we must take into account when considering how services are provided, how staff are trained to provide the best care possible.

That is what our work is about, finding ways to reopen maternity services we have had to close for safety reasons, so that the choice of a midwife-led birth provided in Stroud, is also available elsewhere in Gloucestershire.

We recognise the temporary changes to home birth were deeply frustrating, and we want to thank women, birthing people and our maternity staff for their continued patience and understanding so that maternity services can reopen safely for everyone, no matter where they live in Gloucestershire.