Consultation about birthing services – launched on 12 May 2025
NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB), the body responsible for the running of health services locally, has been preparing to launch a public consultation on 12 May 2025 and want to hear from as many people as possible. There will be a range of options for sharing views, including an online survey, online and face-to-face meetings, and drop-in events with community groups.
The consultation will be around a proposal about birthing services at freestanding midwife-led birthing units (FMBUs). FMBUs are designed to be more relaxing place to give birth with midwife-led care, and are recommended only for low-risk pregnancies. The local FMBUs are at County Hospital in Stafford and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital in Lichfield.
When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, the FMBUs were temporarily closed for birthing services to make sure there were enough midwives to safely run the bigger departments at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Queen’s Hospital, Burton. The FMBUs stayed open for antenatal and postnatal care, but due to a shortage of midwives – which has affected the whole of England – it has not been possible to safely re-open them for births.
In 2023, clinicians and managers reviewed proposals for the future of the FMBU birthing services, concluding that only one proposal would be viable – to permanently close the birthing services at both FMBUs. It’s important to understand that the proposal would not mean closing the units in Stafford or Lichfield – they would continue to provide antenatal and postnatal care – or remove the choice of midwife-led births for women in the area.
Midwife-led care would still be available at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Queen’s Hospital, Burton – where women have quick access to specialist help if there are any complications.
Although the home birth service was temporarily suspended at the start of the pandemic, it has now been fully restored, so women would continue to have this choice available.
Providing safe and attentive care for women and babies is our highest priority. The consultation materials will set out clearly how the proposal would support this. However, no final decisions have been taken at this stage.
Get involved and find out more
For the online survey, details of meetings and information to download, go to this ICB webpage: https://staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk/midwife-led-birthing-units/
For more about the proposal, please see the Maternity pages on the ICB website.
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They will also be going out to community groups such as parent and toddler sessions, postnatal support groups and well-baby clinics to chat to people who are there on the day. If you’re involved in a group like this and would like them to join you for a conversation about the consultation, please get in touch. You can email them at ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk
