HEALTH bosses have approved the permanent closure of a birthing unit at a Lichfield hospital.
The freestanding midwife-led facility at the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital and a similar site at County Hospital in Stafford have been temporarily suspended since the Covid-19 pandemic – and plans to reopen them had to be scrapped due to "workforce challenges".
But now Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) has approved the decision to permanently close both units.
Board members were told that this would be safer for mothers and babies, as well as being more sustainable.
Prior to their temporary closure, just eight births a month took place at County Hospital, with 18 a month at Samuel Johnson Community Hospital. Around 30 a month is considered the minimum for a unit to be ‘clinically and financially viable’.
Chief nursing officer Vanessa Whatley told the board that reopening the units, which are only for low-risk births, would not be an efficient use of the workforce.
All antenatal and postnatal services will continue at County Hospital, with no change to most of the services at Samuel Johnson.
Ms Whatley said:
"The evidence leads to this permanent closure, which is the most sustainable and clinically appropriate option, while maintaining local antenatal and postnatal services and preserving choice throughout the pathway.
"Additional offers are there for low-risk birthing options in the system.
"I’d like to emphasise that the key driver for the recommendation is the sustainability and safety of maternity services."
A formal consultation on the permanent closure of the units was carried out in 2025 along with a further one being carried out earlier this year, specifically to seek views on the permanent closure of the Glucose Tolerance Test and Anti-D immunoglobulin clinics at Samuel Johnson.
Key concerns raised during the consultations included the travel implications and the impact on neighbouring hospitals.
But the board was told that the travel impact would be "minimal" and that both the Royal Stoke and Queen’s Hospital in Burton had sufficient capacity for low-level midwife-led births.
Board members were also told that "no viable alternatives" were identified during the consultation.
ICB chief executive Simon Whitehouse said:
"This is fundamentally about a clinically safe model of care. The clinical evidence as set out in the business case is really clear.
"We accept and acknowledge that not everybody is likely to be happy with the outcome. But if we look at this from the perspective of safety for mums and babies, I think the business case is really clear and the engagement has been comprehensive."
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