Georgette McCready reports on the increased choice of birthing centre for mums-to-be
Mums-to-be can once again have a wider choice of where they give birth, with the announcement that community birthing centres have re-opened and that home births are now once again available for parents to choose.
The NHS Foundation Trust, centred at Royal United Hospitals, Bath, and covering a wide area, including Bath and North East Somerset, part of Wiltshire and Somerset, had been forced to close the centres just before Christmas. The temporary closure was due in part to the staffing challenges caused by absence due to Covid19 and to an increase in demand.
But now the birthing centres at Chippenham and Frome, along with the centre based at the Royal United Hospital, have re-opened and have been offering home birthing from the end of January. Mothers can be accompanied by two support people during labour and for the birth.
Tony Lynch, chief nurse, said, “Closing the community birthing centres for births and pausing the home birth service was not a decision we took lightly, but the safety of those who are giving birth and their babies is always our number one priority. I am pleased to say we have now resumed all services and I offer my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this caused. Thank you for your and understanding and support during this time.”
The latest Care Quality Commission report (2018) rated the local birthing services as ‘outstanding.’ Singled out for praise were:
- A strong focus on safety
- A positive and ‘can do’ culture which was firmly rooted in the desire to provide the best quality led maternity care
- The service was the best in the country for monitoring and and testing babies’ hearing
- Women and their partners reported compassionate, thoughtful, kind and consistent treatment
To look at options for where you can choose to give birth there is advice on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/preparing-for-the-birth/where-to-give-birth-the-options/