Unpopular or unsupported?
Midwife-led birth units replacing consultant ones
Many consultant maternity units have closed recently as the NHS has centralised care, and free-standing midwife-led ones have often replaced them. Enthusiasts welcome the opportunity for low intervention births, while opponents see them as a sop to soften the blow of closure, and destined to decline when the controversy dies down.
I’ve used newspaper and local council reports to identify all such units created over the last 20 years in England and Wales (table). These are not the only new ones; Barkantine and Tooting in London, not listed, were created de novo, and many others have been created alongside or within consultant units.
Of those created more than five years ago, half (9/18), have since closed, with a mean lifetime of 6.5 years. Of the 24 that remain, 12 opened within the last 5 years. The reasons were always too few births to make them financially viable.
Were women fearful of birth without epidural or of transfer in labour, or did managers and obstetricians give insufficient support? We need to know.
|
Midwife led unit |
Closing consultant unit |
Year opened |
Status |
|
1. Tair Afon Birth Centre |
Aberdare Hospital |
1995 |
Closed 2012 |
|
2. Grantham |
Grantham General |
1999 |
Open |
|
3. Dover Birth Centre |
Buckland hospital |
1999 |
Open |
|
4. Helme Chase, Kendal: |
Westmorland Hospital |
2001/02 |
Open |
|
5. Jubilee Midwife Unit Castle Hill |
Beverley and Castle Hill Hull |
2002 |
Closed 2011 |
|
6. Wakefield |
Pinderfields |
2002 |
Closed |
|
7. Southport MLU |
Southport GH |
2003 |
Closed 2005 |
|
8. Hemel Birth Unit |
Hemel Hempstead Hospital |
2003 |
Closed 2005 |
|
9. Caerphilly Birth Centre |
Caerphilly Miners Hospital |
2003 |
Open |
|
10. Brent |
Central Middlesex |
2004 |
Closed 2008 |
|
11. Bishop Auckland |
Bishop Auckland |
2004 |
Open |
|
12. Neath Port Talbot Birthing Centre |
Neath Port Talbot Hospital |
2004 |
Open |
|
13. Canterbury Midwife Unit |
Kent and Canterbury Hospital |
2004 |
Closed 2012 |
|
14. Hexham Birth Centre |
Hexham General Hospital |
2004 |
Open |
|
15. Llandough Birth Centre |
Llandough Hospital |
2005 |
Closed 2011 |
|
16. Huddersfield |
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary |
2008 |
Open |
|
17. Hartlepool Midwife Unit |
Hartlepool |
2008 |
Open |
|
18. Ascot Birth Centre |
Heatherwood |
2008 |
Closed 2011 |
|
19. Wycombe Birth Centre |
Wycombe Hospital |
2009 |
Open |
|
20. Blackburn Birth Centre |
Royal Blackburn Hospital. |
2010 |
Open |
|
21. Rossendale Birth Centre |
Royal Blackburn Hospital. |
2010 |
Open |
|
22. Friarwood Lane Birth Centre Pontefract |
Pontefract Hospital |
2010 |
Open |
|
23. Netherbrook Birthing Unit |
Solihull |
2010 |
Open |
|
24. Maidstone Midwife Unit |
Maidstone |
2011 |
Open |
|
25. Cheltenham |
Cheltenham general |
2011 |
Open |
|
26. Salford Birth Centre |
Salford |
2011 |
Open |
|
27. Royal Bournemouth Hospital Birth Unit |
Poole Hospital |
2011 |
Open. |
|
28. Portsmouth Birth Centre |
St Marys Hospital |
2011 |
Open |
|
29. Halcyon Birth Unit |
Sandwell |
2011 |
Open |
|
30. Barking |
King George |
2012 |
Open |
|
31. Eastbourne Birth Centre |
Eastbourne DGH |
2013 |
Open |
Update 9 Feb
This picture, courtesy of Birth Choice (click here), shows the same data another way. Co-located midwife units are increasing steadily, but the number of free-standing ones remains pretty steady. As fast as new ones open, old ones close.
Update 10 Feb
Click here for a report by Miranda Dodwell from BirthChoice, published by RCM, on what has happened to freestanding midwife units in general since 2000. It’s full of excellent information, and shows the same trends. Total freestanding units in England rose from 54 to 59 between 2001 and 2012, and delivery numbers in such units rose from 8,800 to 11,800. That’s 1.8% of births.
Jim Thornton
Ripe-tomato.org 
I’ve just learned that Grantham is also closing next week.
Grantham is indeed sadly closed. Another great loss and there is no free standing Birth Centre in the area now. Choice obliterated once again.
Looks like Salford might be next. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/proposal-close-birth-centre-could-6800664