Up to 20 NHS maternity units could close - What does this mean for mums-to-be?

Up to 20 maternity units could close or change their role amid staff shortages and rising caesarean rates, raising concerns for families.

High angle of male obstetrician in medical uniform and glasses demonstrating infant in blanket to mom after C section surgery in hospital

Getty/Jordi Mora Igual

Published: October 19, 2026 at 3:38 PM

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Up to 20 maternity units across England could close or change the services they offer, according to a senior NHS leader who says staffing shortages and rising caesarean rates are putting pressure on maternity care.

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Matthew Hopkins, director for acute care at the NHS Alliance, has warned that some smaller maternity units may no longer be able to provide safe, sustainable care with the doctors available. However, the prospect of closures has prompted concern from midwives, obstetricians and politicians, particularly over the impact on women who live in rural and coastal communities.

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For expectant parents, the debate raises important questions about where they will be able to give birth, how far they may need to travel and how maternity services can ensure the safety of both mothers and babies.

Why could maternity units close?

England has 155 NHS maternity units led by consultant obstetricians. Hopkins believes as many as 20 may need to close or change their role as the NHS faces a shortage of obstetricians and an increasing number of births requiring surgical intervention.

Smaller units delivering around 1,500 to 2,000 babies a year are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain, he said. Many of those considered most at risk are in rural and coastal areas, where recruiting and retaining specialist staff can be particularly challenging.

Hopkins has called for a thorough review of where maternity services are based, arguing that the current arrangement does not always provide the staffing and facilities needed to deliver safe care.

He said consolidation into fewer hospitals was “inevitable” and the “right thing” to do, while acknowledging that changes could be politically unpopular and mean some women travelling further to give birth.

Difficult decisions lie ahead, consolidating maternity services to support safer, more sustainable care.

Matthew Hopkins, director for acute care at the NHS Alliance

Rising caesarean rates are adding to pressure

One of the key concerns is the growing number of women having caesarean sections, both planned and emergency procedures. These births require access to obstetric surgeons, operating theatres and appropriately trained staff.

Figures cited by Professor Marian Knight, a maternal and child population health expert at the University of Oxford, show that caesarean sections accounted for 33% of births in England in 2020, rising to 45% last year.

Knight, who investigates maternal deaths through the MBRRACE-UK research programme, has also called for the NHS to consider consolidating services into fewer, larger units to help medical teams manage the increased demand.

The latest MBRRACE-UK report found that some women who died during childbirth between 2022 and 2024 had experienced delays or postponements to caesarean sections because an obstetric surgeon or operating theatre was unavailable.

The report said it was “not clear if the safety of services is maintained in light of [the] increased demand [for caesarean sections”.

Hopkins warned that further increases in caesarean rates could put even more pressure on maternity services if changes were not made in advance.

Midwives and doctors warn against closing local services

Not everyone agrees that closing maternity units is the right solution. Representatives of the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have argued that other ways of addressing workforce shortages should be explored.

Hannah Leonard, chief policy officer at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Women and families rely on local maternity units to be there when they need them, and we must ensure there are high-quality services close to home,”

Dr Alison Wright, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “There are other solutions to our workforce challenges that are far safer than closing maternity units, and these should be explored.”

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan also warned that closures could leave women in rural and coastal communities facing lengthy journeys during labour.

“Forcing women in labour to travel an hour or more to the nearest hospital is unsafe, unacceptable, and leaves local communities abandoned,” she said.

What could the changes mean for expectant parents?

The potential impact is already being seen in areas where maternity services have struggled with staffing. North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple temporarily closed its maternity unit in August because of staff shortages, leaving some women to travel to Exeter to give birth.

An estimated 194 women have had their babies in Exeter because of the closure. The two hospitals are around 43 miles apart, a journey of approximately 70 minutes by car.

A decision on whether the Barnstaple unit can safely reopen was expected from Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Elsewhere, Yeovil Hospital's maternity unit in Somerset reopened earlier this year after being closed for almost 12 months because of staffing problems.

These cases highlight the practical challenges for families when local services are unavailable, particularly when labour begins unexpectedly or women need urgent maternity care.

Government maternity review expected before Christmas

The Government's maternity taskforce is due to publish a report on improving childbirth care before Christmas. Hopkins has warned that the review must address the longer-term organisation of services, including how hospitals will manage rising demand for caesarean sections.

A government-commissioned review of maternity care published by Valerie Amos in June also highlighted concerns about poor hospital infrastructure and insufficient political support for difficult decisions about reorganising services.

The Department of Health and Social Care did not comment directly on the prospect of maternity unit closures. A spokesperson said: “Every woman deserves safe maternity care, and the Secretary of State has made this issue a personal priority. Through the national maternity and neonatal taskforce, that she is chairing, this government will deliver the reforms needed to ensure services meet the needs of women and families now and in the future.”

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For now, the possibility of closures remains part of a wider debate about how to make maternity care safer and more sustainable. Any changes will need to balance the availability of specialist staff and facilities with the importance of ensuring women can access maternity services when and where they need them.

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