Hospital births yet to resume 18 months after pause
GoogleA date for the resumption of births at a hospital where some maternity services were paused 18 months ago due to staffing issues remains unclear.
In May 2025, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said it would pause intrapartum care, the period from the start of labour until delivery, at the Rowan Suite at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.
This suspension was only intended to be in place for three months, but was later extended twice.
The trust said it was still not in a position to confirm a revised reopening date because it had to address multiple "operational, governance and workforce considerations" beforehand.
They said: "We remain committed to progressing this work and ensuring the necessary arrangements are in place."
The trust said people could give birth in any NHS trust they chose with the nearest options to Hartlepool including University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, which was 13 miles (21km) away, and Darlington Memorial Hospital, which was 28 miles (45km) away.
The pause in services was initially due to be in place for three months, however in October 2025 it was confirmed it had "been extended to January" following a "period of review".
In February trust officials told a Hartlepool Borough Council meeting that births at the site should resume in June after staffing pressures had eased, but this did not occur.