Birth Services in the Forest of Dean: What’s Really Happening?
For years now, people in the Forest of Dean have been told that maternity services are being “redesigned” and “co-designed” with the community.
The reality feels very different.
A Timeline of Loss
1923 – Dilke Memorial Hospital opens
1981 – Maternity unit at Dilke closes
1988 – Other sources cite this as the closure date for the maternity ward
2016 – Decision made to close Dilke Memorial Hospital and Lydney & District Hospital to build a new hospital
July 2022 – Construction of the new Forest of Dean Community Hospital begins
April 2024 – Staff and services move to the new Forest of Dean Community Hospital in Cinderford
May 2024 – New hospital becomes operational
7 June 2024 – Official opening of the Forest of Dean Community Hospital by the Princess Royal
Today, this means that no inpatient maternity services exist within the Forest of Dean
— despite around 700 babies being born here each year.
For centuries, the Forest has held the unique rights of Foresters
— rights that only apply to those born within the Forest.
It is no coincidence that maternity services have been stripped away, first with the closure of the Dilke maternity unit and now with women forced to travel miles away to give birth. When babies are not born in the Forest, the line of birthright to those ancient Foresters’ rights is broken.
Safety Concerns
Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where most local women are sent to give birth, has repeatedly been found unsafe. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) currently rates its maternity services inadequate for being “safe” and “well-led.” (CQC report)
Alongside this, a major review of 44 neonatal deaths (2020–2023) found nine babies’ deaths had “missed opportunities” in care that might have changed the outcome.
Concerns included delayed escalation, misinterpretation of monitoring, poor documentation, and weak planning. (Trust report)
What Families Are Experiencing
Alongside the official reports, what I hear from families paints a stark picture. Around half of planned home births are being cancelled at short notice — sometimes when women are already in labour.
These are not published figures, but lived experiences repeated again and again.
When you put this together with the loss of local units, it means women in the Forest are left with fewer real choices and less reliable support than ever.
Co-Design or Control?
The Trust says it is “co-designing” services with the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP).
On paper, the Three-Year Delivery Plan (2023–2026) describes a vision of “safe, high-quality, equitable and personalised maternity care.” (Plan PDF)
But in practice, the improvement plans seem to double down on more intervention, more oversight, and more centralisation.
I see no sign of meaningful caseloading teams, which are proven to improve safety and normal straightforward birth outcomes.
Nor do I see true community control in decision-making.
Where I Stand
I will be writing to the MNVP to ask:
How exactly are you co-designing these services?
Why is caseloading not being implemented?
Because from where I stand — alongside the women and families I support — what’s happening looks less like co-design, and more like control.
A Call for Change
The Forest of Dean has a proud history of standing up for its rights.
The Dilke was once gifted to the people here. That legacy matters. We need to hold our health leaders accountable and demand that “personalised care” means more than words on a page.
Women deserve safe, supportive, and truly choice-led maternity care — right here in the Forest.
Is home birth safe and cost-effective?
Yes.
For women with straightforward pregnancies, planned home birth is as safe as giving birth in hospital, with fewer interventions and more personalised care.
Home birth is also more cost-effective for the NHS, reducing pressure on overstretched hospital services while giving families continuity and one-to-one support from midwives.
For a deeper dive into the research and practice, listen to The Great Birth Rebellion podcast with Melanie the Midwife: Listen here.
Have your say
The future of maternity services in the Forest of Dean matters to us all. Please leave a comment and share your experiences or thoughts — your voice helps highlight what families here truly need.