The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that birthing services at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH) will not reopen on Tuesday 29 September as previously anticipated.

Despite extensive efforts on a national recruitment campaign, an assessment of staffing levels and rota coverage today confirmed we have been unable to meet the agreed staffing threshold needed to safely reopen services later this month.

We remain fully committed to reopening birthing services at NDDH, but we will only do so when we can be confident the service is safe, sustainable and not at risk of closing again at short notice.

Dr Vanessa Purday, Chief Medical Officer, said: "We know this will be deeply disappointing news for women, birthing people, families, our local communities and staff, who were hoping to see birthing services return at the end of this month. We also recognise the ongoing uncertainty and anxiety the temporary suspension has caused, and we are sorry that we are not yet in a position to reopen the service.

“While we have made progress on recruiting to both our consultant and registrar rotas, we still have further work to do to meet our thresholds and to complete the comprehensive onboarding and induction programme all new staff who join our teams must undertake.

“The 29 September date was always conditional on final staffing and safety assurance. We continue to balance the patient safety risks of reopening against those associated with the temporary suspension. Given the fragility of workforce availability, it remains safer to maintain the temporary suspension because this means women and birthing people have access to senior medics should they need it.

"This is not a decision to permanently close birthing services at NDDH. We remain fully committed to reopening the service and will continue to be open and transparent about our progress, the challenges we face and the steps we're taking to address them. We share the determination of colleagues and our communities to achieve this as soon as we possibly can."

The Trust will undertake the next readiness assessment on Monday 28 September and, if needed, every two weeks after that.  

The current temporary suspension remains in place. Women and birthing people should continue to follow their current personalised birth plans and contact maternity triage on 01392 406616 as soon as they think they may be in labour or if they have any urgent concerns.

A dedicated helpline for pregnant women and birthing people who have questions about the suspension is available – 01271 335773, (9am-5pm, Monday – Friday).

Every opportunity to recruit both temporary and permanent staff is being pursued. We have formally requested support from the wider NHS and are also exploring international recruitment. At the same time, the Trust is working with partners on the wider factors, such as housing, transport, infrastructure and delayed capital investment in healthcare facilities that are impacting the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in northern Devon.

Regular updates, a patient information pack, support information and frequently asked questions are available on our North Devon birth services temporary changes webpage.