The Royal College of Midwives has raised concerns about reports indicating that two maternity units in Norfolk could potentially close. Norfolk currently operates maternity services across three hospital locations: Norwich, Gorleston, and King’s Lynn. The latter two facilities also serve patients from Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, with Gorleston serving women in Lowestoft and north Suffolk, and King’s Lynn serving patients from Wisbech and north-east Cambridgeshire.
The Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group has developed a “Case for Change” document outlining potential service delivery models for the future. The organization emphasized that no final decisions have been made and no formal consultation process has begun. NHS leadership indicated that any consolidation would prioritize safer care for women and babies. The document presents multiple options, including maintaining current service levels or closing consultant-led maternity units at either the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, or both facilities.
The union has warned that closing maternity units in rural and isolated areas could require women in active labor to travel what they characterize as unacceptable distances. The RCM also cautioned that removing maternity services from hospitals would likely necessitate closure of neonatal units and children’s inpatient wards due to service interdependencies. The organization has advocated for investment and increased staffing rather than service reductions.
NWUHG noted that 60 clinicians contributed to developing the review. The Case for Change identifies falling birth rates, workforce shortages, and rising numbers of women requiring complex care as factors challenging service sustainability across multiple sites. The document will be submitted to NHS England for further evaluation before any public consultation takes place. The effort follows earlier NHS announcements suggesting that smaller maternity units nationwide may face closure.
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