Rise in NHS birth centre closures ‘shocking’ denial of women’s rights, experts say

Since 2019, twelve midwife-led maternity units, known as birth centres, have closed in England. Six of these closures have occurred since Labour came to power in July 2024. Six other birth centres have been closed permanently, with some remaining shut for up to six years. Two birth centres closed due to the hospitals they were based in becoming untenable and will remain so for several years.

Women's options for choosing where to give birth are being increasingly limited as NHS bodies suspend home birth services for up to fourteen months. This surge in closures and suspensions is attributed to a shortage of midwives, a decreasing birthrate, the increasing complexity of childbirth, and a rise in caesarean sections. Women's rights campaigners argue that the loss of local childbirth services denies women their right to choose and forces them to travel from their homes to give birth.

The Royal College of Midwives warns that women's access to midwife-led care on the NHS risks them opting for private midwifery support or even giving birth at home without a healthcare professional present. Hazel Williams, CEO of Birthrights, emphasizes that these restrictions are not optional luxuries, but fundamental rights for women and birthing people.

Labour's six permanent closures have taken place in Rossendale, east Lancashire; Edgware in north London; Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire; Stafford and Lichfield in Staffordshire; and Pontefract in West Yorkshire. NHS authorities often cite a lack of midwives as the reason for closing birth centres. The National Childbirth Trust's acting chief executive, Tope Medupin, highlights that women are faced with longer distances, higher costs, and greater uncertainties as a result of these closures, which disproportionately affect women and birthing people during one of the most crucial times in their lives.