Maternity Community Transformation Programme

Our goals

• Reopen services that were previously closed
• Increase choice for women and families
• Provide a safe and sustainable service
• Support staff with better working patterns

We are introducing a Community Birth Team model. This matches staff to where care is needed, rather than keeping staff in buildings when no one needs care. This helps improve safety, fairness and long-term sustainability.

This approach has been developed by our midwives, maternity support workers, maternity care assistants, obstetricians and other related staff. It reflects how similar services are successfully organised across the South West and in many other areas, where staffing is aligned to the woman or birthing parent needing care rather than to a building.

The change is focused on:

• how staff are organised
• how rotas are structured
• how continuity and resilience are supported across community birth settings

It is not a change to the maternity offer available to women; however we recognise that workforce changes can still affect women’s experience and confidence in services.

Why changes are needed

In June 2025, we started this work to address long-standing challenges, including:

• Unequal access to community birth services
• Staff shortages and burnout
• Inconsistent availability of home birth

The previous on-call system required midwives to work extra hours and led to fatigue and stress. It also meant services, especially home birth, were sometimes cancelled at short notice.

Home birth services were paused so we could carry out a full safety review and design a better, safer system.

What the new model will do

The new approach focuses on supporting births rather than staffing buildings. It will:

• Restore home birth services across Gloucestershire
• Reopen Cheltenham Birth Centre
• Maintain 24/7 access to birth at Stroud
• Improve access to services across the county
• Strengthen staff wellbeing and safety

The model also improves antenatal care by introducing more structured, bookable clinics based on local demand.

What is changing

• A new way of staffing community labour and birth care
• Staff working where and when women need care most
• Better planned antenatal and diagnostic clinics at Stroud

What is not changing

The new staffing model does not involve:

• Closing or relocating maternity services: Stroud Maternity Hospital will remain open for births 24/7
• Removing or restricting access to community births
• Changing how and when we provide postnatal care.
• Reducing women’s choice of place of birth: Home birth services will return and Cheltenham Birth Centre will reopen with 24/7 availability
• Postnatal care, baby assessments and feeding support will continue seven days a week in all community areas

Women will continue to be able to:

• plan births in the same community settings
• access maternity care in the same way as they do now
• make informed choices supported by their clinical teams

For more information you can read the paper presented to the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee here: Agenda for Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 26 May 2026, 10.00 am

Staffing and safety

The model is designed to safely support two births at the same time, which matches current demand. The model is ready to expand as the demand increases.

It also responds directly to staff feedback by:

• Including on-call time within working hours
• Reducing workloads
• Allowing midwives to focus on the many aspects of their role, including delivering high quality antenatal and postnatal care
• Increasing team support and training

Are you shutting Stroud Maternity Hospital or reducing services provided there?

Stroud is not closing. It will continue to offer care for births, but like a home birth, staff will be there when needed rather than on site at all times. This is a common approach in other areas and helps make the best use of staff and resources.

Planned antenatal and diagnostic clinics at Stroud Maternity Hospital will be improved.

No decision has been made at this time about postnatal beds at Stroud Maternity Hospital, which have been temporarily closed since April 2022. The immediate focus of this work is to safely reinstate closed services, restore choice for women and families, and put in place a sustainable model for labour and birth care. Postnatal beds are not part of the current proposal and would need separate consideration in due course.

What happens next

We will now carry out a formal staff consultation. If approved, the new model is planned to be introduced in autumn 2026, alongside reopening Cheltenham Birth Centre.

We will continue to provide updates on this webpage an on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Have your say

We will hold public engagement events later this year together with the Integrated Care Board (ICB – who commission our services). They will be conducting community engagement events about the Case for Change. You can also share your views through the Gloucestershire Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP).

Or you can contact us directly.

Our Patient Advice and Liaison Team is here for you to discuss any concerns or feedback you might have with your current care. You can contact them via telephone on 0800 019 3282 or email ghn-tr.pals.gloshospitals@nhs.net. PALS are available from 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday.

Maternity Advice Line

If you are 16 weeks pregnant or more and you:

• Need emergency help or advice
• Think you may be in labour
• Are worried about your baby’s movements

Contact the Maternity Advice Line on 0300 422 5541. The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.