Home births halted by London hospital

At least 10 expectant mothers have had their home birth plans cancelled at short notice after an east London maternity unit halted its service.

Homerton Hospital in Hackney said the provision had been temporarily "paused" following a review and would resume after an "assurance and improvement process".

Those planning home births under its care say they are anxious about the decision and worried they may not get their choice of birth.

In a statement, the hospital said: "The safety and quality of care that women receive while using our maternity services is always our highest priority. With this in mind, we have temporarily paused our home-birth service for a short period following a review."

It continued: "Following an assurance and improvement process, we expect services to resume by Friday 9 October, or earlier if possible.

"We are committed to providing a safe home-birthing option and there are no plans to close the service."

Separately, a spokesperson for Homerton Healthcare NHS Trust told the BBC that a "review of procedure and documentation" of its home births was being carried out.

He added that the decision was not taken due to staff shortages and said Homerton had a long-established team of about six midwives dedicated to home births and providing continuous care.

Olivia Wilson, who is due to have a home birth led by Homerton Hospital in November, told BBC London she was anxious about the situation.

"I've had no contact from anybody in the maternity service... I found out on Instagram and I found that unsettling."

Olivia, who has previously had two home births, spoke highly of the hospital's service.

"I could not recommend them more highly, the care I've received has been above and beyond, it's been amazing.

"The service I've experienced is something everyone should have access to and protecting that is of vital importance."

Olivia joined scores of protesters who gathered at the hospital on Tuesday morning to demand an immediate resumption of home births.

Among them was Laura Mullarkey, legal lead at the charity Birth Rights.

"People have a human right to choose their place of birth; nobody can force a woman or birthing person into a hospital, and public bodies have a duty to support those choices.

"There are situations where restrictions can be put on human rights but only where that restriction is lawful, has a legitimate aim and where it is proportionate, and we don't think that's what's happened here."

Homerton Hospital said: "We recognise the significant impact this short pause will have on the women planning for a home birth, particularly at this late stage of pregnancy.

"We have apologised and offered them a 'home from home birth' in one of birthing suites in the Birth Centre.

"Our home-birth midwifery team will continue to provide care and support for them throughout their pregnancy and after their baby's birth."

NHS maternity units in England are generally expected to offer pregnant women the choice of a midwife-assisted home birth, although they are not recommended for high-risk women or babies.

These births typically require two midwives to deliver a baby in a family home.

However, these services have been temporarily suspended at several hospitals due to staff shortages.

Maternity units have also come under increased scrutiny for their home-birth provision in recent years.

In 2025, units across England were ordered to review the safety and quality of their home birth services.

This followed a coroner's report into the deaths of a mother and baby - Jennifer and Agnes Cahill - following a home birth under North Manchester General Hospital in 2024.

An inquest found the pair died due to neglect and failings in their care.

From April to August this year, 2,388 babies were born under Homerton's maternity service, 37 of which were home births, the trust said.

The unit was rated "good" following its most recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission in 2023.

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