Campaigners say women’s right to choose where to give birth is being eroded by a wave of NHS birth centre closures in England, with 12 midwife-led units shut since 2019 and others closed temporarily for years. The closures are being driven by workforce shortages, a falling birthrate and rising birth complexity.
The six permanent closures since Labour came to power in July 2024 are in Rossendale, Edgware, Melton Mowbray, Stafford, Lichfield and Pontefract. A further four birth centres have been closed ‘temporarily’ for so long (up to six years) that childbirth groups fear they will never reopen. Two more closed because the hospitals housing them are crumbling and will remain out of action for several years.
Birth centres provide midwife-led care, offering women an option between a doctor-run hospital unit and a home birth. The closures and suspensions (including home birth services in some areas) reflect an NHS-wide shortage of midwives, a falling birthrate, the growing complexity of childbirth and a rise in caesarean sections.
Hazel Williams, chief executive of Birthrights, said: ‘Over the past few years we have seen shocking restrictions on women and birthing people’s choices of place of birth, with more and more birth centre closures and restrictions and the option for NHS-supported home birth vastly reduced for many. These are not luxury options or nice-to-haves. This is about women and birthing people’s right to choose what happens to their bodies and their birth.’
Tope Medupin, acting chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said the loss of local services often means longer journeys, higher costs and greater uncertainty. ‘Longstanding workforce shortages, crumbling estates and wider pressures on maternity services remain unresolved and women are increasingly expected to travel further for maternity care as a result. That cannot simply become the new normal.’
In Huddersfield, the birth centre closed temporarily because of Covid-19 in November 2020 and has not reopened. The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS trust said no decision has been made on reopening and no timeframe can be given. Ingleside birth centre in Salford has been shut since January 2022, and in Crowborough, east Sussex, births were paused in October 2025 due to staff shortages. The trust running Crowborough said it had completed a review of what reopening would involve but declined to share details.
Nusrat Ghani, the MP for Sussex Weald, accused the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS trust of breaking ‘numerous promises’ to review reopening. ‘We have had thousands of local mums and residents complain at the closure of the service and the trust is ignoring their health needs and choices,’ she said. Ghani said mothers were having to travel up to 90 minutes to give birth, and suggested the trust may be describing the closure as temporary to avoid formal public consultation.
A senior NHS leader recently warned that up to 20 consultant-led maternity units at acute hospitals in England may have to close to keep women and babies safe. In Norfolk, NHS bosses have proposed shutting maternity units at King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth, centralising care at Norwich. The maternity unit at North Devon district hospital has been closed for months, including its home birth service, due to staff shortages.
Gloucester hospitals trust announced last week that Cheltenham birth centre will reopen in February after being shut since 2022, and that home births, suspended since 2025, will resume in January.
Hannah Leonard, chief policy officer and deputy chief midwife at the Royal College of Midwives, said: ‘Women have the right to choose where they give birth, but that choice is being eroded. The evidence shows that for some women choosing to give birth in a birth centre or at home improves outcomes and experience for the woman and her baby.’
Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, is due to publish an action plan to address the crisis in maternity and neonatal care in England before Christmas. The Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘Every woman and baby deserves safe, compassionate maternity and neonatal care and the health secretary has made it a personal priority to improve standards across the board. Strengthening the workforce is central to that goal and there are now a record number of midwives working in the NHS, with over 600 added in the past year.’
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Women in England face reduced access to midwife-led birth options, forcing longer travel, higher costs and greater uncertainty at childbirth.
- The closures reflect systemic pressures on NHS maternity services: workforce shortages, ageing facilities and rising medical complexity.
- The government’s forthcoming action plan will set out how it intends to address the crisis; until then, further closures may continue.
Background
Birth centres are midwife-led maternity units that give women a middle option between a doctor-run hospital birth and a home birth. Since 2019, 12 have closed in England, six permanently since Labour took office in July 2024. Four others have been closed temporarily, some for years, raising fears they will never reopen. Home birth services have also been suspended in several areas. The closures are attributed to a shortage of midwives, a falling birthrate, rising birth complexity and an increase in caesarean sections.
Key Perspectives
- Birthrights (Hazel Williams): describes the closures as ‘shocking restrictions’ on women’s right to choose place of birth, saying they are not luxury options but a matter of bodily autonomy.
- National Childbirth Trust (Tope Medupin): warns that loss of local services leads to longer journeys, higher costs and greater uncertainty, and says workforce shortages and crumbling estates cannot become ‘the new normal’.
- Royal College of Midwives (Hannah Leonard): states that choice is being eroded and evidence shows birth centre or home birth can improve outcomes for women and babies.
- Nusrat Ghani, Conservative MP: accuses the local trust of breaking promises to review reopening and suggests it may be describing the closure as temporary to avoid public consultation.
- Department of Health and Social Care: says the health secretary has made improving maternity care a personal priority and notes a record number of midwives in the NHS, with over 600 added in the past year.
What to Watch
- Yvette Cooper’s action plan on maternity and neonatal care, expected before Christmas.
- Whether the proposed closures in Norfolk (King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth) go ahead, potentially affecting a wider region.
- The reopening of Cheltenham birth centre in February and whether any other temporarily closed centres follow suit.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedCampaigners say women’s choice of where to give birth is being eroded by NHS birth centre closures in England.World news | The Guardian: “Campaigners say the loss of local childbirth services is denying women their right to choose and forcing them to travel from their home area to give birth.”
- SupportedTwelve birth centres have closed in England since 2019.World news | The Guardian: “Twelve birth centres – midwife-led maternity units – have closed in England since 2019.”
- SupportedSix units shut permanently after Labour came to power in July 2024.World news | The Guardian: “Six units have shut permanently since Labour came to power in July 2024.”
- SupportedThe six permanent closures were in Rossendale, Edgware, Melton Mowbray, Stafford, Lichfield and Pontefract.World news | The Guardian: “The six permanent closures during Labour’s time in government have been in Rossendale, east Lancashire; Edgware in north London; Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire; Stafford and Lichfield in Staffordshire; and Pontefract in West Yorkshire.”
- SupportedFour other centres have been temporarily closed for up to six years, leading childbirth groups to fear they will not reopen.World news | The Guardian: “Four others have been closed “temporarily” for so long, up to six years, that childbirth groups fear they will never reopen.”
- SupportedThe closures and suspensions are occurring because of midwife shortages, a falling birthrate, greater childbirth complexity and a rise in caesarean sections.World news | The Guardian: “The wave of closures and suspensions is occurring because of the NHS-wide shortage of midwives, a falling birthrate, the growing complexity of childbirth and a rise in caesarean sections.”
- SupportedHazel Williams said restrictions on women’s and birthing people’s choices had been shocking and NHS-supported home birth had been vastly reduced for many.World news | The Guardian: “Over the past few years we have seen shocking restrictions on women and birthing people’s choices of place of birth, with more and more birth centre closures and restrictions and the option for NHS-supported home birth vastly reduced for many.”
- SupportedTope Medupin said longstanding workforce shortages, crumbling estates and wider maternity pressures remain unresolved.World news | The Guardian: “Longstanding workforce shortages, crumbling estates and wider pressures on maternity services remain unresolved and women are increasingly expected to travel further for maternity care as a result.”
- SupportedThe Huddersfield birth centre closed temporarily in November 2020 because of Covid-19 and has not reopened.World news | The Guardian: “The Huddersfield birth centre in Yorkshire closed in November 2020 as a temporary measure because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But six years later it has not reopened.”
- SupportedGhani said local mums and residents had made thousands of complaints about the closure and that the trust was ignoring their health needs and choices.World news | The Guardian: ““We have had thousands of local mums and residents complain at the closure of the service and the trust is ignoring their health needs and choices,” Ghani said.”
- SupportedA senior NHS leader warned that up to 20 consultant-led maternity units at acute hospitals in England may have to close to keep women and babies safe.World news | The Guardian: “A senior NHS leader recently warned that up to 20 full-scale, consultant-led maternity units at acute hospitals in England may have to close in order to keep women and babies safe.”
- SupportedThe Department of Health and Social Care said there are a record number of midwives working in the NHS, with over 600 added in the past year.World news | The Guardian: “there are now a record number of midwives working in the NHS, with over 600 added in the past year.”
