Cheltenham Birth Centre reopens for births on 1 February 2027 and home births return on 4 January. The NHS trust has apologised that both are later than promised.

Women will be able to give birth at the Cheltenham Birth Centre again from 1 February 2027. Home births across Gloucestershire restart a month earlier, on 4 January 2027.

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust confirmed both dates on Tuesday 3 November. The midwife-led unit at Cheltenham General Hospital, also called the Aveta Birth Centre, has been closed for births since 2022 because it could not be staffed safely and consistently. (Gloucestershire Hospitals, 3 November 2026)

Three weeks ago the trust told county councillors that no reopening date had been set. We reported that on 13 October.

The dates

When What happens
From December 2026 You can talk to your midwife about planning a home birth on or after 4 January
4 January 2027 Home births restart across the county, run by a new Community Birth Team
4 January 2027 The same team takes over births at Stroud Maternity
1 February 2027 Cheltenham Birth Centre reopens for labour and birth

Each date depends on the trust confirming that it is ready. It says it will move to each phase only when staffing, training, facilities and governance are in place.

Later than promised

The trust had committed to bringing both services back by the end of autumn 2026. It says the confirmed dates are later than planned.

Matt Holdaway, the trust’s chief nurse, said: “We recognise that women and families have had to wait longer than originally planned, and I am sorry for the impact that has had.”

He said recruitment and onboarding “are progressing”, alongside the training and staffing work needed for each phase.

Why Cheltenham opens a month after home births

The trust’s questions and answers page says more midwives are due to join the new team from outside the trust during January. It says the extra time is being used to:

  • bring the team together and finish its training
  • set up safe staffing rotas, allowing for leave already booked over Christmas and New Year
  • transfer existing caseloads safely
  • finish the remaining building work at the Cheltenham Birth Centre

The new Community Birth Team

The team will work across Gloucestershire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It will cover births at home, at Stroud Maternity and at the Cheltenham Birth Centre.

It is separate from the community midwives who see you during pregnancy. If you plan a home or birth centre birth from early on, you may be given a community midwife who is part of the new team. If your plans change, you can stay with the midwife you have.

Home births were suspended in October 2025. The trust says midwives had raised concerns about the old on-call arrangements, and shifts were hard to fill. That meant the service was sometimes withdrawn at short notice.

What it means for you

  • Due before 4 January? Nothing changes. Your choices are the Delivery Suite or the Gloucestershire Birth Unit at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, or Stroud Maternity, about 12 miles south-west of Cheltenham.
  • Due in January and want a home birth? Ask your midwife from December. The trust says it will discuss plans for a home birth on or after 4 January “where appropriate”.
  • Want to give birth in Cheltenham? The earliest date is 1 February 2027. Talk to your midwife about your birth plan, and keep a back-up in mind, because each phase still depends on the trust signing it off.
  • Antenatal appointments carry on at the Cheltenham Birth Centre as now.

The county council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee meets at 10am on Tuesday 17 November. We will report anything the trust adds there, and check whether the dates hold.

Sources