The maternity unit at North Devon District Hospital will be temporarily closing from next month.

The decision comes following a review of medical staffing levels, which found the unit couldn’t safely remain open.

In a statement, the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “We cannot guarantee that women would consistently have access to the level of senior medical support during labour they may require. 

“For this reason, the Royal Devon has taken the difficult decision to begin planning for the temporary suspension of births at North Devon District Hospital from Tuesday 11 August 2026.”

It also added: “Between now and then, the Trust will continue to explore every available opportunity to avoid suspending the service, working closely with neighbouring providers, NHS Devon Integrated Care Board and NHS England South West.”

The trust says that it is short of consultants by up to 50% and middle-tier doctors by 40% due to a range of reasons. These include staff leaving the hospital, staff maternity leave, staff sickness and short-notice locum unavailability.

The Royal Devon Chief Medical Officer, Vanessa Purday, said: “This is an enormous decision and one we feel the weight of in our community.”

Around 1,200 babies are born at the maternity unit every year.

Vanessa added “We are extremely concerned about our maternity consultant and medical cover at North Devon District Hospital (NDDH). 

“The service at NDDH has been reliant on locum and agency cover for some time and recent additional staffing shortages and absence have tipped the balance into it being unsafe to continue beyond 11 August. 

“Our maternity teams have worked so hard and held this service together for many months, working extra and longer hours to ensure our families got the care they needed. However, despite our best efforts we cannot staff our medical rota in August.

“A key priority now is ensuring that those women and families who are due to give birth receive timely, accurate information about their options, and are fully supported to make choices that are right for them. We don’t have all that detail yet but will be issuing it as soon as we can.”  

The trust says it will contact their patients in order of delivery date to discuss future plans and ensure support is available.

It’s not yet known where expectant parents will be transferred following the closure.