The National Health Service in England is experiencing a wave of birth centre closures that advocacy groups characterize as restricting women’s access to midwife-led maternity services. Twelve midwife-led maternity units have shut down since 2019, according to childbirth campaigners. Six of these closures have been permanent since Labour came to power in July 2024, occurring in locations including Rossendale in east Lancashire, Edgware in north London, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, Stafford and Lichfield in Staffordshire, and Pontefract in West Yorkshire. Four additional birth centres have remained closed on a temporary basis for periods extending up to six years, raising concerns among advocacy organizations that these facilities may never resume operations. Two other closures are linked to deteriorating hospital infrastructure that will require several years to rebuild.
Simultaneously, NHS organizations across England and Wales have suspended home birth services for durations reaching up to 14 months, further constraining women’s options for where to deliver. The closures and suspensions stem from multiple systemic challenges: widespread midwife shortages across the NHS, declining birth rates, increasing complexity in childbirth cases, and rising caesarean section rates. NHS officials cite insufficient staffing capacity to operate birth centres safely as a primary reason for closure decisions. Specific examples include Huddersfield’s birth centre, which closed in November 2020 during the pandemic and remains shuttered, and Crowborough’s facility in east Sussex, which halted midwife-led births in October 2025 due to recurring staff shortage-related closures.
Advocacy organizations including Birthrights and the Royal College of Midwives argue that these service reductions deny women fundamental reproductive rights and may push them toward private midwifery care or unattended home births. They emphasize that limited local maternity services create substantial burdens, including extended travel times—in some cases up to 90 minutes—and increased costs. Senior NHS leadership has indicated that up to 20 consultant-led maternity units at acute hospitals in England may require closure to maintain safety standards, suggesting potential further consolidation. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to release a comprehensive action plan addressing maternity and neonatal care challenges in England before the end of the year.
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