Summary
Cheltonians will soon be able to be born in the spa town as the maternity unit will reopen on February 1, almost five years after it was closed temporarily. Health bosses closed the Aveta Birth Centre at Cheltenham General Hospital due to safety concerns in April 2022.
Details
Now Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust chiefs have announced it will finally reopen saying it will provide another important choice for women and their families. The home birth services which were suspended last year will also restart on January 4, 2027.
On the same day, they say the new countywide community birth team will begin providing labour and birth care at Stroud Maternity and women will continue to be able to choose Stroud as their place of birth. Want to see more of the stories you love from GloucestershireLive? Then make us your preferred source on Google.
To add GloucestershireLive as a preferred source, simply click here Chief Nurse Matt Holdaway said: “The services are being introduced in phases to allow the new countywide model to become established safely and sustainably. “Before each phase begins, the Trust will confirm that the necessary staffing, clinical governance, operational and estates arrangements are in place.
“We recognise that women and families hoping to use Cheltenham Birth Centre may be disappointed that it will reopen later than home birth services restart, particularly given the length of time the centre has been closed.
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“We would have liked to restore all of these choices sooner, but it is important that the new arrangements are introduced in a planned and sustainable way.” He went on to say that the trust recognises the impact that the suspension of home births and the extended closure of Cheltenham Birth Centre have had on women and families. “We understand the strength of feeling about restoring these choices,” he said.
“Our aim is not simply to reopen services, but to establish a community birth model that is safe, resilient and sustainable for the future, providing women and families with greater choice about where they give birth. “As the new arrangements are introduced, we will monitor staffing, activity, safety, outcomes and women’s experiences.
We will continue to listen to women, families, staff and stakeholders as the model becomes established.” Cheltenham MP Max Wilkinson, who has been campaigning for the reopening of the maternity unit in the town for four years, welcomed “such good news”.
What You Need to Know
“We recognise that women and families hoping to use Cheltenham Birth Centre may be disappointed that it will reopen later than home birth services restart, particularly given the length of time the centre has been closed.
Report source: Gloucestershire Live
