Up to 20 maternity units in England may have to shut, NHS leader warns

Up to 20 of England’s 155 consultant-led maternity units may have to close or change their role to keep mothers and babies safe, a senior NHS leader has warned in a Guardian exclusive published on Monday morning.

Matthew Hopkins, the NHS Alliance’s director for acute care, said centralising childbirth services into fewer hospitals was “inevitable” and “the right thing”, warning the move would trigger political backlash. He called on ministers to “grasp the nettle” and urged ministers and MPs to show “courage”.

The units most at risk are the smallest ones, delivering between 1,500 and 2,000 babies a year, particularly in rural and coastal areas facing severe staffing challenges. Hopkins pointed to a widespread shortage of obstetricians and a sharp rise in both planned and emergency caesarean-section rates as driving forces behind the warning.

The NHS Alliance said “difficult decisions lie ahead” and backed consolidating maternity services to deliver “safer, more sustainable care”, adding that worse maternity mortality rates in deprived communities and among Black and Asian women must be tackled.

The Department of Health and Social Care said every woman deserved safe maternity care and that its government taskforce “will deliver the reforms needed to ensure services meet the needs of women and families now and in the future”. The BBC also covered the story, reporting that NHS leaders had called the organisation of maternity care “not fit for purpose”.

Sources

• The Guardian — https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/19/up-to-20-maternity-units-england-shut-nhs-warning-matthew-hopkins
• The Hona News — https://www.thehonanews.com/2026/10/19/nhs-leaders-say-maternity-care-organisation-is-not-fit-for-purpose/
• Grand Goldman — https://grandgoldman.com/blogs/business/nhs-maternity-unit-closures-up-to-20-units-may-shut-leader-warns