Yeovil District Hospital reopen maternity unit and SCBU

Subject to meeting essential safety criteria, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust plans to reopen the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and inpatient maternity service at YDH on April, 21, 2026.  

Peter Lewis, chief executive of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am very pleased to provide a date when we will reopen the SCBU and inpatient maternity service at YDH. I hope this provides certainty for our colleagues who work in those services, for service users and the communities that rely on those services.  

“We have done a huge amount of work to address concerns about the safety, quality and fragility of the paediatric service at YDH, which led to these temporary closures, and have more work to do. The plan to reopen services is complex as we work through the process to launch the new Somerset-wide paediatric service at YDH and reopen the SCBU and inpatient maternity service at YDH.  

“This involves working with our new paediatric consultants, who join us from November 2025 through to March 2026, and our maternity colleagues, many of whom are working in maternity services at Musgrove Park Hospital and Dorset County Hospital, without destabilising those maternity services. 

“We have set out the essential criteria that must be in place to reopen services, and improvement criteria which will continue to be delivered and embedded following reopening. Now detailed planning will take place within our trust, with Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and other partner organisations, and with Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnership, to put those safety criteria in place so that we can safety reopen the SCBU and maternity service at YDH.  

“As the date for reopening gets closer, the support and information we provide to pregnant women and those planning a family will become more important. At present, they should continue to access maternity services as usual. 

“Our work continues, but I want to acknowledge and thank service users and families for their understanding. I thank our colleagues for the support they are providing to families and the work they’re doing to make the improvements that will enable us to reopen services. I thank our partners, particularly those at Dorset County Hospital, and the independent Somerset Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership who are working with us and ensuring the voices of families are heard.” 

Adam Dance MP for Yeovil and South Somerset said: “While I welcome the news that a date has finally been set for the re-opening of Yeovil Maternity Unit, April 2026 is still a long way off. Local families have already waited far too long for clarity and for the return of safe, accessible maternity care in Yeovil.

“I will continue to hold the Trust to account to make sure this date is met — and if it can be done safely sooner, it should be. Parents deserve clear communication, transparency, and confidence that lessons have been learned.

“The maternity unit is a vital part of our local hospital and community. I will keep pushing to ensure it reopens as soon, and as safely, as possible.”