Eastbourne Midwifery Unit to reopen in September

The Trust announced that the unit will reopen for births on September 2 after the Midwifery Unit was shut with ‘immediate effect’ in December 2023 following ‘staffing challenges’.

The closure has impacted around three to four births a week, the trust confirmed, but the unit has remained open for outpatient antenatal and postnatal services.

Following the closure, East Sussex NHS Trust had announced that the unit would remain closed until the end of January 2024.

The trust then confirmed in February that the unit would continue to be suspended for births, with some being directed to give birth either at home or at Conquest Hospital in Hastings.

Following the beginning of a review on February 29, the trust confirmed that the review was complete and a plan had been proposed for the unit "that will provide patient focused labour care both at home and in the maternity unit".

A spokesperson from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said: “To provide certainty for patients, in March we committed to undertaking a review with maternity colleagues to develop a new staffing arrangement that will enable us to resume births at the midwifery led unit at Eastbourne DGH and provide safe community midwifery services. This work has now been completed and a plan has been proposed that will provide patient focused labour care both at home and in the maternity unit. This will enable us to deliver care flexibly, and ensure it is focused on supporting families with their choice of birth.

“This follows the ongoing staffing challenges which meant we have had to suspend the option of births at the Eastbourne Maternity Unit to enable us to continue to provide safe maternity care within the community. This impacts around three births a week, but the unit has remained open throughout for outpatient antenatal and postnatal services.

“Work is now underway to implement the new approach to ensure that we can provide a safe and resilient service, which will be in place from September 2, 2024 when births will resume at the unit.

“Our maternity team continue to be in touch with families regarding their current options which include giving birth at home or at Conquest Hospital, and reassuring them that they will be fully supported with safe and effective maternity care”.

The news of the reopening has been welcomed by Eastbourne’s new MP Josh Babarinde who believes that the reopening is a ‘solid step in the right direction.’

He said: “After our many months of campaigning to get our DGH re-open for births, hospital bosses have just confirmed that they plan to re-open the Midwifery Unit for births in just over six weeks’ time from September 2.

“While I’d want this to happen much sooner, this progress is a solid step in the right direction.

“I will keep up the pressure over the coming weeks and will support the hospital to marshal the help it may need from Government to get open for births again.

“This means a lot to me personally – I was born in that unit myself – so I will always fight to protect it.”