North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple has suspended its birthing services due to staff shortages, forcing pregnant women to travel nearly two hours to Exeter to give birth. In response, a local antenatal centre has begun offering classes on what to do if labour starts before a mother can reach hospital, including guidance on giving birth in a car.

The maternity unit closed on 11 August over safety concerns linked to a shortage of consultants and registrars, with roughly 300 women who are at least 34 weeks pregnant or classed as high-risk told to make alternative arrangements, and triage appointments halted. No date has been given for reopening. Devon Antenatal Family Centre CIC in Barnstaple is now running sessions covering contingency planning, roadside birthing positions and practical advice such as keeping blankets, water and charged phones to hand. The closure follows a critical national report on NHS maternity failings, and a petition demanding better local maternity support has drawn more than 15,000 signatures, while the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust says it has updated clinical pathways to handle extra births at Exeter.