Story perspectives

North Devon Hospital Suspends Maternity Admissions Amid Staff Shortages

8/10/2026

Summary

Story summary

North Devon Hospital in Barnstaple suspended maternity admissions because staffing was unsafe.
Staffing shortages left consultant rotas 50% short and registrar doctors 40% short.
The trust kept midwifery, scans and antenatal clinics but halted births with no restart timeframe.
Nearly 15,000 signed MP Ian Roome’s petition warning babies could be born in laybys, prompting 34-week-pregnant Harriet Knight to travel two hours to Exeter or Taunton or stay in accommodation.

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Story summary

North Devon Hospital in Barnstaple suspended maternity admissions because staffing was unsafe.
Staffing shortages left consultant rotas 50% short and registrar doctors 40% short.
The trust kept midwifery, scans and antenatal clinics but halted births with no restart timeframe.
Nearly 15,000 signed MP Ian Roome’s petition warning babies could be born in laybys, prompting 34-week-pregnant Harriet Knight to travel two hours to Exeter or Taunton or stay in accommodation.