Today, recommendations for the future of maternity and neonatal services in North Central London were agreed at a formal meeting of North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) and NHS England London region Specialised Commissioning, as co-commissioners.

The decision comes after a rigourous process, including a public consultation and extensive work with clinicians to develop recommendations to improve the quality of services to give babies and children the best start in life, known as the Start Well Programme. Recommendations, now agreed, include:

• Maternity and neonatal services are to be consolidated onto four hospital sites, Barnet Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital, University College London Hospitals, and Whittington Health. Current maternity and neonatal services at Royal Free Hospital will eventually close.
• All four hospitals to provide at least level 2 neonatal care, and both obstetric and midwifery led maternity care. Home births will also continue to be available across North Central London.
• An additional £67million of capital investment to improve the quality of the estate across North Central London’s Integrated Care System maternity and neonatal services.
• The birthing suites at Edgware Birth Centre are to close and expanded antenatal and postnatal care is to be provided at the site.

The Board members discussed the recommendations in detail, including the case for change, feedback from the public consultation and the expected benefits of the recommendations. The meeting also answered questions from members of the public.

A consensus was reached by NHS England representatives and NCL ICB Board members. The Board voiced their support for the additional capital investment for these services and their commitment to supporting highly valued staff through the transition period. They recommended that the Board receives regular progress updates during implementation of the recommendations, in particular relating to the mitigations for communities who may be more impacted by the changes.

Detailed planning will need to be carried out before any changes are implemented and the closure of the maternity and neontal unit at Royal Free Hospital could take several years. Before any changes are made, there will be further communication with families and those using these services, the public, staff, and stakeholders and ample notice given.

In the meantime there are no immediate changes, and all services are open and operating as normal for pregnant women and people, their families and their babies.

To find out more about the Start Well programme visit the Start Well webpage.