Plans confirmed for future of birth choices in Wakefield District

After careful consideration of public feedback, clinical evidence, and service data, the Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership Committee has agreed not to reinstate the midwife-led birthing unit at Pontefract Hospital and to focus the service at Pontefract on delivering comprehensive, high-quality antenatal and postnatal care and family support.

The decision follows a 14-week public consultation earlier this year, which showed that while people value choice, most local families now prefer to give birth in settings where a wider range of medical support is available if needed, such as consultant-led (obstetric) units or a midwife-led unit that sits alongside a consultant-led labour ward. More people in the district also have complex health needs during pregnancy and need specialist care, which can only be provided in consultant-led settings. As a result, Pinderfields Hospital has become the most commonly chosen location for births in the district.

Birthing services at the unit have been suspended on safety grounds since November 2019, and no births have taken place at Pontefract Hospital since that time. Antenatal and postnatal care will continue to be provided at Pontefract Hospital and within the community.

People across the Wakefield District will continue to have access to a full range of birth options in line with national guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). These include:

• Home birth, supported by community midwives
• Pinderfields Birth Centre, the alongside midwife-led birth centre at Pinderfields Hospital
• The labour ward and elective caesarean section unit at Pinderfields Hospital
• Bronte Birth Centre, the standalone midwife-led birth centre at Dewsbury and District Hospital

People can also choose other maternity units nearby.

Mel Brown, Accountable Officer for Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership, said: “This decision supports a safe, sustainable and high-quality maternity service for the Wakefield District and beyond. It allows us to make the best use of our workforce and meet the changing needs and preferences of families in our area.”

Kerry Reede Field, Director of Midwifery, Children’s Nursing and Women’s Health at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, said: “Our priority has always been to provide the safest possible care.

“Families across our district will continue to have access to the full range of birth options, delivered by skilled and compassionate midwives, wherever they choose to have their baby. We’ve also expanded our antenatal and postnatal support services at Pontefract Hospital because we know that good care before and after birth plays a big part in healthy outcomes for both parents and babies.

“We are committed to personalised care, and our midwives work closely with families to help them understand their options and make choices that are right for them and their individual circumstances. I encourage everyone to book in with maternity services as soon as they find out they’re pregnant so that our midwives can provide the information and support needed for a healthy pregnancy and help plan the best place for birth.”

The birthing unit at Pontefract had seen declining use in the years leading up its temporary closure in 2019, with an average of only three births taking place there each week. In contrast, more than 100 births take place at Pinderfields Hospital each week.

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, which provides maternity care across the district, has significantly strengthened its services in recent years. The Trust’s Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating improved from ‘requires improvement’ in 2018 to ‘Good’ in 2022, thanks to increased staffing and more flexible deployment of midwifery teams across services. This progress has been further supported by a successful campaign to recruit and retain midwives, ensuring safe, high-quality, and responsive care for local families.

More information about the decision, consultation and local maternity services is available at: Birth choices – public consultation – Wakefield District Health & Care Partnership