Closed petition Recruit more midwives to run Bracken Birthing Centre at full capacity and give women a real choice of birth place.

Closed on 12 September 2013

Bracken Birthing Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, focuses on natural birth and offers women with low risk pregnancies a homely environment in which to birth their baby. Despite statistics showing that women are less likely to need induction of labour, pain relief, assisted deliveries or caesarean sections when giving birth in a midwife led unit such as Bracken, as well as it costing the NHS less than birth in an obstetric unit, this centre is not being used at its full potential. Bracken is only open to one woman at a time, and when labour ward is busy it may be shut entirely. This is due to a shortage of midwives – a problem for Taunton and also across the UK.
Please sign this petition calling for the government to provide more midwives and for Musgrove Park Hospital to operate the Bracken Birthing Centre to its full potential.