Dozens of maternity units at risk of closure

A national NHS leader has told HSJ he expects more maternity units to close, while analysis suggests dozens face similar problems to a hospital where births were suspended this month.

Ex-Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust boss Matthew Hopkins, now NHS Alliance’s acute and ambulance director, told HSJ “there will be other Barnstaples” following the suspension of births at North Devon District Hospital due to a lack of senior doctors. 

He said problems facing NDDH – which sees fewer than 2,000 births per year – were likely to affect similarly sized units, many of which face the same issues with recruitment and clinical sustainability.

For instance, they typically require similar levels of obstetric cover as larger facilities but find it harder to recruit to these positions as they are often located in rural, harder-to-reach, or coastal areas.

HSJ understands dozens of units could face such challenges nationally, with 26 out of 155 consultant-led units recording fewer than 2,000 annual deliveries last year.

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Source: HSJ, 20 August 2026