Temporary suspension of birth services at Honiton and Okehampton to be extended

The temporary suspension of birth services at Honiton and Okehampton birth centres is to be extended due to on-going staff vacancies and long-term sickness absence across the maternity service.

The extension means that women will not be able to give birth at either site for a further three months until safe staffing levels have been attained. The suspension will be reviewed again early in 2018.

We are however pleased to state that all antenatal and postnatal clinics, midwifery support and home birth services at Honiton and Okehampton are unaffected and running as normal.

Zita Martinez, Head of Midwifery at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, said:  “

We recognise the significant impact that this may have on women who had hoped to birth at Honiton or Okehampton and are once again sorry for this.

Patient safety however remains our top priority and we are working as hard as we can to resolve this so that birth services at these centres can resume as soon as possible.   

“For anyone requiring inpatient maternity care, we will make immediate arrangements for them to attend our main maternity unit in Exeter or Tiverton Birth Centre, so that mother and baby continue to receive the highest standard of care.”

Honiton and Okehampton Birth Centres are open for clinics and midwife care and support 8am-8pm, seven days a week. Outside of these hours women should call the RD&E main maternity triage service on 01392 406616.