Homerton Hospital's home birth service has fully resumed operations following a temporary pause for review and improvement work.
The service recommenced on October 9, 2026, after being temporarily suspended. The pause was implemented to allow for a comprehensive review and enhancement of the service, supported by an independent external maternity expert and the local maternity and neonatal system. The review involved a deep dive
in collaboration with the home birth team to ensure assurance and improvement work was undertaken.
Brenda McManus, Chief Nurse at Homerton Healthcare, confirmed the resumption of services during a meeting of the Adults Health and Integration Scrutiny Commission on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Ms. McManus apologised for the disruption caused to nine women whose planned home births were affected by the pause.
The disruption experienced by these women included the cancellation of their planned home births. They were offered individual discussions about the circumstances and the birth preferences, and the option of a home from home birth in our birth centre.
Additionally, they were provided with independent midwives and had additional support from the Whips Cross home birth team.
Homerton's home birth midwives continued to provide care to these women throughout their pregnancies and post-birth.
Ms. McManus reiterated that the hospital's commitment to providing safe, high-quality care across all maternity services remains its highest priority.
The recommencement of the home birth service was discussed as part of a wider review into improving outcomes for Black women in NHS acute and community mental health services in Hackney.
Public reports pack Tuesday 13-Oct-2026 19.00 Adults Health and Integration Scrutiny Commission