Report published on the future of St Mary’s Birth Centre
Births and inpatient postnatal care at St Mary’s have been paused since July 2025 due to very low birth numbers and fragile staffing, which meant safe 24/7 midwifery cover could not be maintained. The report outlines the implications of these pressures and sets out a recommendation to implement the 2021 consultation decision to relocate services from the unit within current national constraints.
The Board will consider the recommendations in light of the feedback received and the information outlined in the report and make its final decision at its public meeting at Melton Borough Council offices on March 19.
The report provides extensive details of the key findings of the engagement process, outlining how the current pause impacted families and staff.
The full report is available in Appendix 1 of the latest Board papers: LLR-NICB-Board-meeting-in-common-PUBLIC-papers-19-March-2026.pdf
If you would like to attend to observe the meeting, please email: llricb-llr.enquiries@nhs.net before 12pm on Tuesday 17 March 2026. Attendance will be on a first come basis so that we can comply with the health and safety requirements of the venue including meeting room capacity.
If you have questions relating to items on the agenda, please submit these in writing in advance of the meeting by email: llricb-llr.enquiries@nhs.net. Questions received after 5pm on Monday 16 March 2026 may not be considered. Please be advised that Observers are not permitted to join in the discussion or ask questions during the meeting.
