Yeovil Maternity Unit Set to Reopen in April 2026
Adam Dance MP welcomes progress but vows to hold NHS “to account” on delivery
Last updated 14th Oct 2025
The Special Care Baby Unit and inpatient maternity ward at Yeovil District Hospital are set to reopen on 21 April 2026, following a long closure and months of uncertainty for families across South Somerset.
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust confirmed the date this week, saying safety checks and recruitment of key staff must first be completed. Chief executive Peter Lewis said he hoped the announcement would bring “certainty for colleagues, service users and the communities that rely on those services.”
“We have done a huge amount of work to address concerns about the safety, quality and fragility of the paediatric service at Yeovil” he said. “Our work continues, but I want to thank families for their understanding and our colleagues for their ongoing efforts.”
The hospital’s maternity and Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) were temporarily closed in May 2024 after a Care Quality Commission report raised safety concerns. The closure forced many local families to travel to Taunton, Dorchester, or Bath to give birth — an experience Yeovil MP Adam Dance says caused “real stress” for expectant parents.
“I’m really pleased that we finally have a date,” Adam told Greatest Hits Radio Somerset. “We’ve done an awful lot of campaigning and lobbying the NHS locally, so it’s great that they’ve listened. But I’ll be holding them to account to make sure that date isn’t pushed down the road.”
He added that the closure had discouraged some residents from starting families.
“What really got me was speaking to people who said they’d actually put off trying for a baby because they didn’t want to travel miles to Dorchester or Taunton” he said. “Giving birth should be one of the happiest times of your life.. not something filled with worry.”
Adam also voiced concern over staffing, warning that some midwives and nurses may have taken other jobs or retired during the closure.
“It’s great that more paediatricians have been recruited” he said, “but we’ve got to make sure we keep hold of our brilliant midwives and nurses. Without them, we don’t have the great NHS care people here rely on.”
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said it is now working with new paediatric consultants, Dorset County Hospital, and the Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership to meet essential safety criteria ahead of reopening.
As the date approaches, families are being advised to continue using existing maternity services at Musgrove Park and Dorset County Hospital.
For Adam, the goal is simple: “I’ll keep pushing to make sure the unit reopens as soon, and as safely, as possible... because families in Yeovil deserve that.”