Birthing services at midwife-led units at County Hospital, Stafford, and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital, Lichfield 

We’d like to hear from as many people as possible during our 12-week public consultation, which will run from 12 May to 3 August 2025. Anyone is welcome to take part, but we’d especially welcome views from people who are planning a pregnancy or currently pregnant, have recently become parents, or have used maternity services in the last few years.

We’re consulting on a proposal to permanently close the birthing services at two freestanding midwife-led birthing units (FMBUs). These are at County Hospital, Stafford, and Samuel Johnson Community Hospital, Lichfield.

The birthing services have been temporarily closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, although the units are open for antenatal and postnatal care.

To read more about the FMBUs and the proposal, visit our consultation page or download the consultation document – which is also available as an easy read.

Complete our survey

Fill in our online survey or easy read survey to share your views. The survey closes at midnight on Sunday 3 August 2025.

Come to a meeting

Locations will be confirmed soon: Register for our events

Online meetings

• Monday 30 June, 12-2pm
• Wednesday 2 July, 6-8pm

Face-to-face meetings

• Lichfield, Wednesday 25 June, 6-8pm
• Lichfield, Monday 7 July, 12-2pm
• Stafford, Tuesday 8 July, 6-8pm
• Stafford, Thursday 10 July, 3-5pm

We’ll also be going out to community groups such as parent and toddler sessions, postnatal support groups and well-baby clinics to chat to people who are there on the day. If you’re involved in a group like this and would like us to join you for a conversation about the consultation, please get in touch. You can email us at ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk

Want to find out more?

You can find out more information from our consultation page.

You can also download these documents:

• Consultation document (24 pages plus appendix)
• Easy read consultation document (24 pages – has larger text and images)
• Pre-Consultation Business Case (142 pages plus appendices. This is the formal document presented to NHS England about the proposal, why it is needed and how it has been developed.)
• Frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Keep in touch

Email: ssotics.comms@staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk