Border Home Birth Support

21/04/2026

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21/04/2026

21/04/2026

Dear Head of Midwifery & Chief Executive

I am writing to raise serious concerns about the ongoing suspension of the home birth service within NHS Borders, which has been in place since January 2026 and, to date, does not appear to have a clear plan or timescale for reinstatement.

I run a local home birth support group, and since the suspension began, I have been contacted by many pregnant women seeking guidance and reassurance. For some, a planned home birth is not a preference but an important part of feeling safe, supported, and listened to during pregnancy and birth. The prolonged withdrawal of this service is causing significant distress, uncertainty, and a loss of trust in maternity services.

As you will be aware, women and birthing people have a legal right to choose where they give birth. While services may be temporarily restricted due to staffing pressures, national guidance, and human-rights–based frameworks are clear that any suspension must be proportionate, regularly reviewed, and supported by clear plans for reinstatement. The current situation, now several months long, understandably raises questions about whether those requirements are being met.

In practical terms, women are being left with very limited options:
Planning a home birth with no certainty about whether support will be available when labour begins
Transferring care outwith NHS Borders, often over considerable distance
Paying privately for care that should be available within the NHS
Or feeling pushed toward a place of birth that they do not feel is right for them
I would therefore be grateful for clarity on the following points:

What is the current plan to reinstate the home birth service in NHS Borders?
How frequently is the suspension being formally reviewed, and by whom?
What mitigations have been explored to support home births during this period (for example, on‑call arrangements, use of bank staff, or collaboration with neighbouring services)?
How are women being supported to make truly informed choices while this service remains unavailable?
I know that maternity services are under immense pressure, and I want to emphasise that my concerns are raised in the interests of women, families, and staff alike. Home birth services can reduce pressure on hospital units, and their removal disproportionately affects those who already feel least heard within the system.

I would welcome the opportunity for dialogue on this issue and would appreciate both a response and any reassurance you can offer to the women I support that their voices – and their rights – are being actively considered.

Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.

Kind regards,

Gemma Gotterson

Home Birth Support Group Facilitator

[Email sent 21/04/2026]

CC'd John Lamont, MP for Roxburghshire and Craig Hoy, regional MSP for South of Scotland and Birth Rights UK.

20/04/2026

Things like this are an example of the situation we have found ourselves in.
It is so much bigger than we think, and we need to use our choices and voices if we want a change.

19/04/2026

19/04/2026
Advice request submitted to Birth Rights UK regarding current home birth service suspension with NHS Borders.

Still awaiting response from Head of Midwifery.

19/04/2026

19/04/2026

Contractions, surges, sensations… whatever you want to call them are PURE MAGIC! They are IN-F*CKIN-CREDIBLE! Your uterus is this wonderful group of muscles! And those muscles pull up during a contraction to HELP DILATE THE CERVIX… what happens if we TENSE our muscles then try and move them.. it’s pretty darn HARD, it hurts and it’s tiring. THIS is what your uterus is going through when you’re fighting against it. When you feel that contraction and you start to panic. Mix that with FEAR which minimises oxytocin leads to a sh*tty contraction that isn’t going to do a good job of dilating the cervix. Which then leads to a LONGER and TIRING labour. No one wants that! How did contractions feel for you? positivebirth thenakeddoula

19/04/2026

05/04/2026

04/04/2026

A study in 2020, by Hutton, looked at the maternal outcomes and birth interventions in women planning to birth at home versus hospital. This study found that intending to birth at home 30% fewer reporting postpartum haemorrhage. Surprising right? Because many people think birthing in hospital is safest! But in reality, birthing at home reduces chances of many interventions. The study also found birthing at home were:

40% less likely to give birth by caesarean section
>50% less likely to have an instrumental vaginal birth
70% less likely to use epidural
55% less likely to have an episiotomy
>40% less likely to experience a 3rd or 4th degree perineal tear >60% less likely to receive oxytocin augmentation of labour
>75% fewer reporting maternal infection

Have you considered a home birth, or did you dismiss the idea out of hand straight away? Check out my home birth myth busting guide to find out the FACTS around home birth! Link is in my bio.

08/12/2025

Welcome to our November babies 🤰🏻🤱🏻👶🏼

22/11/2025

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