St Mary's Birth Centre Closed: Leicestershire's Maternity Services Shift

0:00It's March 20, and Lester, let's get into the news. NHS leaders in Lestershire have closed the St. Mary's birth center in Milton, Mowbray for good. They say low birth numbers made it unsafe and unsustainable to keep running. Services there pause last July, when the local hospital trust struggled with staffing for deliveries. On Thursday, the area's health board approved moving those services to a midwifery unit at Lester General Hospital. Experts and campaigners who fought for years to save the center feel devastated. Generations of families relied on it for births and postnatal care, and recent protests show strong local support. Officials explained that just 92 babies were born there in 2024-25, less than 1 percent of the trust's total. With only one or two births a week, staff couldn't maintain needed skills. The board promises more public input to shape future maternity options, aiming to balance community needs with safety standards.