Birth unit to reopen by 'end of the autumn'

Expectant mothers will be able to give birth at home and in a long-closed birth centre by the end of autumn, it has been confirmed.

Home births in Gloucestershire were suspended in November 2025 following safety concerns raised by staff and the Cheltenham Birth Centre was closed in 2023 due to staffing issues.

The latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report on Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust rated maternity services at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital as requiring improvement, after being deemed inadequate in 2023.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said "good progress" had been made to "safely restore" home births and the birthing unit by the end of autumn.

The chief executive of Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust, Kevin McNamara confirmed the plans, telling BBC Radio Gloucestershire's breakfast show: "We want maternity services in Gloucestershire to be much more community based, to give comprehensive choice."

He said the trust had recently completed a staff consultation on community maternity services and were "almost there" with finding the right staffing to implement the changes.

McNamara also highlighted that the recent CQC report that upgraded maternity services in the county from 'inadequate' to 'requires improvement' took place a year ago.

"There are delays in the inspection reports coming out and there's been a significant amount of work [to improve services]" he said.

"[The report] identified issues with triage, for example - that's effectively the emergency department for maternity - and we've made significant changes and improvements there."

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