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Service change updates

Maternity and SCBU

Reopening of maternity services at Yeovil District Hospital – information to support choices about place of birth

Updated 19 January 2026

We are preparing to reopen the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and inpatient maternity services at Yeovil District Hospital (YDH) at midday on Tuesday 21 April 2026.

If you are due to have your baby on or after the 21st of April 2026, you may be thinking about your options for place of birth and need information to make choices. We are working with our midwives and doctors who will have conversations with you to ensure your care and place of birth is fully discussed.

  • If you live in the Yeovil catchment area, and your baby is due before 21 April, please continue to plan to give birth at either Musgrove Park Hospital (MPH) or Dorset County Hospital (DCH) or a neighbouring hospital if you have booked to give birth there.
  • If you live in the Yeovil catchment area, and your baby is due on or after 21 April, you can choose to give birth at Yeovil District Hospital (YDH). If that is your choice, please book your antenatal (pregnancy) care in with YDH community midwifery team through Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
  • If you have chosen to give birth at YDH but your labour begins before midday on 21 April, our teams will support you to give birth at MPH.
  • If you live in the Yeovil catchment area, and your baby is due on or after 21 April and you have a pre-existing condition that means there is an increased chance that you will need to give birth earlier than your due date (for example pre-existing diabetes), we recommend that you continue antenatal care in the hospital (DCH or MPH) where you are currently booked. If you are in this situation, it is really important to discuss this in your doctor (obstetric) appointment and with your community midwife.
  • If you are under the care of an obstetrician (doctor) with DCH, and you are thinking of changing your place of birth, you should have a personalised conversation with your doctor about continuity of care and place of birth. This will help to ensure you are fully aware of how your pathway of care, potential risks, and choices may change depending on where you wish to give birth.
  • Our home birth service is fully open across Somerset.
  • If you have any questions or need advice about your care, please contact your community midwife.