To ensure we can maintain staffing levels across our maternity services, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend births at Cossham Birth Centre.
Like NHS trusts across the country, we are facing staffing pressures due to a combination of sickness and vacancies and we feel that it is necessary to take this step in order to ensure we can provide safe care to all women and babies across our units.
We have temporarily suspended the service before in similar circumstances and our focus has always been on resuming the full service as soon as possible.
We understand that choice of birth place is incredibly important and are committed to resuming births at Cossham as quickly as we can, and will keep this matter under constant review until we can do so.
Antenatal and postnatal clinics at Cossham are unaffected and running as usual.
Our improved home birth service will continue to run on a case-by-case basis.
The midwife-led Mendip Birth Centre at Southmead Hospital, which provides a tranquil setting and a philosophy of women-centred care remains open as an alternative to Cossham Birth Centre.
We are sorry for any disappointment this may cause and appreciate your understanding at this time.
Please speak to your midwife if you have any concerns.