Home births to resume as maternity unit to reopen

Birth services are set to undergo huge changes across Gloucestershire as a new team is launched.

From January, maternity services will be delivered by a Community Birth Team, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The team will run the county's home birth service, which is set to return in January after a year-long suspension. The midwives will also work across Stroud Maternity Unit and Cheltenham Birth Centre (CBC) when CBC reopens in February 2027 following a five-year closure.

Matt Holdaway, chief nurse at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said it was "a positive step in restoring birth choices" and providing a "more sustainable service for the future".

Home births were suspended in November 2025 following safety concerns raised by staff, but the service is set to resume from 4 January 2027.

Cheltenham Birth Centre, which has been closed since 2022, will also reopen on 1 February 2027.

The Trust had previously committed to restoring the services by the end of autumn 2026, but said the additional time allowed preparations for a new county-wide model to be completed in the form of the Community Birth Team.

For women choosing to give birth at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, services will remain unchanged.

"We recognise that women and families have had to wait longer than originally planned, and I am sorry for the impact that has had.

"Recruitment and onboarding are progressing, alongside the training, staffing and operational preparations needed for each phase.

"We will only move to the next phase when we are confident that women, babies and families can receive safe, high-quality care, supported by the right staff, training, facilities and governance arrangements," Holdaway added.

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