A birthing centre in the city is to be closed until Christmas, expectant mums are being told by their midwives. Several women have contacted BristolLive to say they have been told Cossham birth centre is to temporarily shut for births due to staffing problems.
North Bristol Trust has said it is currently reviewing whether they need to take "temporary steps" at Cossham due to workforce challenges. The trust said their aim is to maintain a safe service for women during pregnancy and labour and that their focus has always been on resuming the full service as soon as possible.
Back in 2018, Cossham birth centre had to shut for several months due to a shortage of midwives and new Government rules. Back then, staff from Cossham birth centre were asked to work at Southmead's unit while the temporary closure was in place as, at that point, all calls to Cossham Birth Centre from women in labour were diverted to Southmead Hospital's midwife-led unit.
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While home birth services continued to be available on a case by case basis, all community antenatal and postnatal clinics at Cossham were unaffected and running as normal. It is not known yet if the same procedures will be followed in this closure.
A mum-to-be - whose baby is due in November - said: "I went there [Cossham] yesterday (November 12) for my midwife appointment. The midwife said it is closing temporarily for births while they sort staffing out and that as soon as they are back up to capacity it will reopen again.
"They are continuing to offer antenatal care and appointments and the home birth team is also working from there too. She said that, until then, women can have home births or go to the Mendip Birth Centre at Southmead.
"She seemed very sure it would just be a temporary blip and that it would all be fine."
Mum-of-two Siobhan - whose third child is due in December - said she was told two weeks ago that they were operating on a day-by-day basis as to whether they were able to be open as a birth centre. She said: "My midwife told me that staffing is so delicate that they can't make any guarantees.
"She acknowledged that this level of ambiguity is really difficult for pregnant women. For me, even though there are some factors that make Cossham my preferred choice, I would rather plan for a home birth rather than have the uncertainty of whether it will be open on the day - so I am just going ahead with a home birth plan now.
"I think it is really unfortunate that such a special service such as Cossham birth centre is so under-supported as it is a vital service for a whole sector of women who want to prioritize as natural a birth as possible but can't have a home birth. Surely this puts a lot more pressure on the already stretched home birth team."
A first-time mum - whose baby is due at the end of December - said she was already aware that Cossham might be closed due to staffing issues at any time. She said it almost felt like a relief to know that it is ruled out as an option and that she is now considering a home birth.
"I thought the midwives were great at handling the information," she continued. "The midwife was also really positive and reassuring about using the Mendip Suite at Southmead as an alternative to Cossham.
"I am currently doing NCT and our teacher let everyone know Cossham is now closed - so I don't think there is confusion circulating. As far as I am aware, it has been closed already until Christmas."
A fourth expectant woman agreed, saying she has her community appointments at Cossham and just yesterday (October 12) was told by her midwife that Cossham was closed for births until Christmas.
However, another mum-to-be - who is due around Christmas - said she had been told by her community midwife that there were no issues at Cossham and that she should be fine.
"She said she hadn't heard of any problems, which is kind of weird when there obviously is," she added.
Are you an expectant mum due to give birth at Cossham? We would love to hear from you to find out what you have been told and what the temporary closure has meant for you. Please contact me directly on estel.farellroig@reachplc.com
What North Bristol NHS Trust say
A North Bristol NHS Trust spokesperson said: “Like trusts across the country, we are facing workforce challenges due to sickness and vacancies.
“As a result, we are currently reviewing whether we need to take temporary steps at Cossham that would allow us as a wider Trust to maintain a safe service for women during pregnancy and labour.
"This is something we have done before from time to time and our focus has always been on resuming the full service as soon as possible. If temporary changes are made, our first priority will be to communicate them with the service users, staff and key stakeholders.”
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