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 on birthing services, which runs 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. The units remained open for antenatal and postnatal care and these services would continue to be offered as part of the consultation proposal.

To read more about the FMBUs and the proposal, download the consultation document (further down this page) or visit these other pages:

• Maternity Transformation – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Integrated Care Board
• Birthing services available locally – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Integrated Care Board
• Birthing services consultation – What is the proposal?
• Birthing services proposal – Advantages & disadvantages

Complete our birthing services consultation survey

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

We are 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 to hear views and share information. 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 about our birthing services consultation?

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

Online meetings

• Monday 30 June, 12-2pm – Registration now closed.
• Wednesday 2 July, 6-8pm – Registration now closed.

Face-to-face meetings

• Lichfield, Wednesday 25 June, 6-8pm – Lichfield, Samuel Johnson Community Hospital Seminar Room, Lichfield, WS13 6EF, or The Guildhall, Lichfield, WS13 6LU* – Registration now closed.
• Lichfield, Monday 7 July, 12-2pm – The Guildhall, Lichfield, WS13 6LU – Registration now closed.
• Stafford, Tuesday 8 July, 6-8pm – Beaconside Conference Centre, Stafford Education and Enterprise Park, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0BF – Registration now closed.
• Stafford, Thursday 10 July, 3-5pm – Beaconside Conference Centre, Stafford Education and Enterprise Park, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0BF – Registration now closed.