Campaigners thank supporters after 'utterly devastating' birth centre decision

As expected yesterday (Thursday) members of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB) approved a recommendation to end births and inpatient post-natal services at the Thorpe Road unit.

The decision was described by passionate campaign group, Save St Mary’s Birth Centre, as ‘utterly devastating’ and was greeted with dismay by families who have used St Mary’s in the past and those who hoped to use it in future.

The LLR ICB points out that ante-natal and post-natal clinics, home visiting and infant-feeding support will continue through St Mary’s in Melton.

Families will also still be able to choose between midwife-led units at Leicester General Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary, consultant-led care, or the Home Birth Team, they add.

The decision to axe births and inpatient post-natal care was taken after more than 200 people took part in an engagement project, sharing feedback about the calm environment at St Mary’s, the high-quality post-natal and feeding support, concerns about travel, and the emotional impact of the pause.

A declining and low number of births to one or two a week on average, fragile staffing and rising costs of enabling women to have babies and be cared for at St Mary’s were given as pivotal factors in the final decision but campaigners have long pointed out what they felt was a lack of investment in, and inadequate promotion of, a baby unit which had strong care quality assessment results over many years.

Julie Hogg, Chief Nurse at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “St Mary’s has a proud history, and the care, commitment and compassion shown by colleagues over many years has meant a great deal to families.

"What we have learned from St Mary’s, and from the views people have shared, will help inform how we continue to improve maternity care for families across our area.”

The relocation of services to the midwife-led unit at Leicester General Hospital (LGH) was initially agreed back in 2021 as part of a commitment to consolidate all main county maternity services in the city.

It was originally promised that a standalone midwife-led baby unit would be established in Leicester to mirror what has been provided at St Mary’s Birth Centre but a funding shortfall mean this won’t now happen and the services will instead be absorbed into provisions at the General.

Reflecting on Thursday’s decision, the ICB’s Chief Nurse, Maria Laffan, commented: “We recognise how important the service at St Mary’s has been to many families and staff and we are very grateful to everyone who shared their experiences and views on the impact of the pause.

"Birth numbers have been extremely low for several years, making it impossible to maintain the skills and 24-hour staffing required for a standalone unit.”

The ICB cited, in their decision, that national guidance on standalone midwife-led baby units required consistent activity to maintain clinical skills and operate safely.

Falling activity, alongside staffing pressures and high levels of temporary cover, meant the service could no longer be safely sustained at Melton, they said.

Because the unit had to be staffed 24/7 ‘despite very low activity’, the cost per birth at St Mary’s rose to £11,928 in 2024/25, which the ICB say is more than double the average cost of a midwife-led birth across UHL sites.

The ICB and UHL pledge now to work together on a managed transition from Melton to Leicester, ‘including support for staff and clear communication with families’.

After Thursday’s confirmation that births and inpatient post-natal care was to cease permanently at the Melton baby unit, the Save St Mary’s Birth Centre campaign team commented: “The decision taken by the ICB, whilst not surprising, is still utterly devastating.

“We mourn not just the decision, but the manner in which it has been arrived at.

“Nothing we heard this morning indicates that there was ever any other plan than permanent closure, and the language of ‘temporary’ and ‘pause’ used last summer to describe the situation was disingenuous from the outset.

“Regarding safety, we continue to point out that the CQC never once raised a safety concern about St Mary’s and it maintained right up until its closure, a CQC judgement of ‘Good’.

“At a time when maternity services at the LRI and LGH are still judged as ‘requires improvement’ it’s a complete travesty to deny women the option for better.”

The campaigners say they feel let down by the promise of a standalone midwife-led baby unit in Leicester now being shelved.

“The ICB’s persistent use of ‘relocate’ to characterise the plan does not reflect reality,” they say in their statement.

“To be clear, in a departure from the decision taken in 2021, the ICB today have decided to close our only stand alone midwife-led unit; not relocate it.

“This will limit birth choices for women not just in Melton, but right across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

“With it, goes our only inpatient post-natal ward - again, severely changing the choices available in maternity care on offer."

The campaign group say they will continue to fight for better maternity services for Melton borough families and the wider Leicestershire.

They add: “From the small group of mums sat in a pub at the very first meeting of this group in 2009, to the hundreds who turned out last August to wave banners, bang drums and cry out in the street.

“Whether you’ve told your story, turned up to meetings, signed petitions, spoken to the media or simply shared our Facebook posts with friends: THANK YOU.

“We are gutted that we couldn’t get the result that future generations of mothers deserve. But we have not gone down without a fight.”