Maternity unit at Pontefract Hospital set to close permanently amid midwife shortage
Friarwood Birth Centre has not reopened since it was temporarily shut in 2019 on the grounds of clinical safety.
Last updated 9th Sep 2025
Health chiefs look set to approve plans to permanently shut a hospital’s maternity unit, six years after it was temporarily closed due to a midwife shortage.
The move comes after a fresh consultation over proposals to close the facility at Pontefract Hospital.
Friarwood Birth Centre has not reopened since it was temporarily shut in 2019 on the grounds of clinical safety.
The NHS previously said the number of births at the centre was “lower than expected” so it could not justify midwives being deployed there.
About 200 women a year gave birth at Pontefract before the unit’s suspension.
Wakefield District Health and Care Partnership (WDHCP) is expected to agree to a recommendation to permanently close the facility when it meets later today (September 9).
The recommendation also calls for “high-quality” antenatal and postnatal services to be retained at Pontefract.
Birthing provision has been prioritised at a maternity-led unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield since the temporary closure.
A report said: “Establishing a permanent model of service will enable the birthing rooms at Pontefract to be re-purposed to increase the space available for antenatal and postnatal care, family support and group work, providing a more comfortable and confidential environment.
“Establishing a permanent model of service removes ongoing uncertainty for the population and staff.”
The document said reinstating birthing services at Pontefract would require additional staff at a cost of £1.3m.
The recommendation comes after a 14-week consultation period which took place from February to May this year.
A total of 732 people engaged in the process, 75% of whom were women aged 20 to 39.
According to the report, 76% of respondents said they would choose to give birth at Pinderfields.
It said: “Objections to the proposal centred on travel distance, increased demand on Pinderfields Hospital, positive experiences at Pontefract, loss of local choice and concerns about more medicalised births.”
Comments in support said it would be an effective use of resources, citing “low demand” for the Pontefract unit.
Others raised safety concerns about the “unsuitability of the unit for higher risk births.”
The report said the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust’s maternity services inspection ratings by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had improved since 2019 and there had been “no safety incidents associated with the withdrawal of the birthing facility.”
It continued: “The proposed model is based on five years’ experience of delivering this pattern of care, during which staff in the midwifery service and retention have significantly improved.
“The Trust has been able to make better use of the midwifery resource to support safety and experience across the service.
“Birth rates nationally and locally show a declining trend, which means capacity in the maternity service exceeds current and projected demand.
“However, future capacity requirements will need to be kept under review to reflect any growth in population or increase in birth rate in the district, or changes to national guidelines on staffing.”
WDHCP previously agreed to permanently close the facility in January 2024 but the decision was put on hold following criticism from Wakefield Council’s NHS scrutiny committee.
Councillors accused local NHS decision makers of “deliberately running down” the service to justify its closure.
Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, also called for the centre to remain open, saying parents had been “let down.”
The last public engagement on potential closure was carried out in 2018 and 2019.
The partnership agreed to carry out a new consultation before making a final decision but the process was delayed due to the general election being called last summer.