HSOPITAL bosses cannot say when the birthing centre will reopen in Cheltenham and Stroud could lose its postnatal care beds for good amid the ongoing midwife shortage.

The Aveta Birth unit in Cheltenham and the six postnatal beds at Stroud Maternity Hospital have been closed since 2022.

Midwifery staff were centralised to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital to ensure safe staffing levels, and, in particular, one-to-one care in labour and birth.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has invested an extra £1.8m to increase maternity staffing, including obstetricians, consultants, administration support since 2020.

And an extra 20 midwives will be taken on by the trust between now and February.

But while progress is being made it is taking a significant amount of time to reopen the unit in Cheltenham and the beds in Stroud.

Chief executive Kevin McNamara told the health overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday (October 15) that the hospital trust is making improvements.

“In Stroud you can still give birth in the community hospital,” he said.

“Given where we stand at the moment our vacancy rate is around 13.5 per cent in maternity.

“But that doesn’t include midwives who themselves are on maternity leave, off sick or training.

“So when you add those numbers together you almost double the gap.”

Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach) said he understood the staffing pressures but said residents would want a reassurance that the services in Cheltenham and Stroud would reopen

“At the moment there is no timescale,” he said.

“Can you give that reassurance that both those units will reopen in due course?”

Mr McNamara said he could give the reassurance that they are “working hard on recruitment to get to a position where they can make a decision”.

But he said there were two different issues regarding the birthing centre in Cheltenham and the post natal care beds in Stroud.

“We’ve met with the Stroud Hospital League of Friends about what our ambitions are for the maternity hospital there,” he said.

“We have talked about our desire to make that an important hub for maternity. We are going to have to have a conversation about the model of care.

“They are postnatal beds. These are mums that don’t have a medical need to be in hospital.

“We don’t have that offering anywhere else across the county.

“On Aveta, we are absolutely working hard to get to a position where we can reopen. I’m not in a position to commit when that will be.”

Cllr Hodgkinson said he was less reassured than he was before the question. “What you seem to be saying is that either of them might not reopen,” he said.

Mr McNamara said the Aveta was a matter of time but the Stroud post natal beds are “worthy of a conversation”.

“They aren’t a medical need. And also the issue around availability of funding to be able to fund these services is one of our challenges.

“Can we use that asset differently to support mums and families in Stroud? No decisions have been taken but that is part of the conversation we would like to continue having.

“But Aveta, absolutely, that’s our first priority.”