A senior NHS doctor has confirmed the closure of Yeovil Hospital’s maternity and special care baby units as a necessary measure to ensure patient safety. Dr Melanie Iles, chief medical officer at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, announced that from 5pm on Monday, May 19, all births and inpatient maternity services at Yeovil Hospital would be suspended. This abrupt decision follows mounting concerns about the hospital’s capacity to provide safe maternity care.
Dr Iles acknowledged the distress this announcement has caused among pregnant women, birthing people, their families, and staff. “We recognise how upsetting and worrying this news has been for everyone involved,” she said. “We are truly sorry for having to make this decision, which we’ve had to take on safety grounds.”
The trust swiftly reached out to all affected families to explain how the suspension impacts their care. While inpatient services are currently halted, outpatient maternity services including antenatal clinics, pregnancy scans, and antenatal screening at Yeovil will continue unaffected. Home births will also proceed as normal.
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Dr Iles reassured the community that neighbouring hospitals have the capacity to absorb the increased demand safely. Significant expansions have been made at Musgrove Park Hospital, including additional antenatal and postnatal beds, new triage areas, and a dedicated transitional care zone to keep mothers close to babies requiring specialist treatment. Maternity scanning and antenatal services have also been relocated to optimize available space.
“Our teams have worked tirelessly to enhance facilities at Musgrove Park Hospital to support these temporary changes,” Dr Iles said. She also expressed gratitude to Dorset County Hospital and the Royal United Hospitals Bath for their collaboration during this transition.
For further information, patients can visit www.somersetft.nhs.uk or call the NHS Somerset helpline at 0300 303 6409, available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Feedback is welcome via the Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership at somersetmvp@evolvingcommunities.co.uk.
