Hospital officials emphasized that the safety and quality of care remain their highest priority. A spokesperson for Homerton Healthcare NHS Trust clarified that the pause is not due to staff shortages, as the hospital maintains a dedicated team of approximately six midwives for home births. The review specifically examined procedures and documentation related to home births.
Some affected mothers, like Olivia Wilson, who is due in November, expressed distress at finding out about the service suspension through social media. Wilson, who has had positive experiences with previous home births at the hospital, highlighted the importance of such services being accessible.
Protesters gathered at the hospital to demand an immediate resumption of home births. Laura Mullarkey from the charity Birth Rights argued that individuals have a human right to choose their place of birth and that public bodies have a duty to support these choices.
Homerton Hospital has apologized for the impact of the pause and offered affected women a "home from home birth" in one of the birthing suites within their Birth Centre. The home-birth midwifery team will continue to provide care and support throughout their pregnancies and postpartum.
Between April and August of this year, Homerton's maternity service facilitated 2,388 births, with 37 of those being home births. The hospital's maternity unit received a "good" rating in its most recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission in 2023.