Welcome to our Maternity Unit

 

We provide maternity care for nearly 6000 women and their babies each year during pregnancy, labour, birth and up until one month after birth.

During and after pregnancy, we offer both midwifery-led and consultant-led care and our teams are multidisciplinary, which means all the care you need is provided within the maternity wards.

Our midwives look after women at the hospital antenatal clinic, local GP surgeries and children’s centres.

We provide a home birth service and hospital-based care during labour and birth. In addition, Homerton is a leading regional neonatal centre and we will be able to provide the highest quality specialist care for your baby after birth if needed.

Please note, we are a teaching hospital and as such, students work alongside qualified practitioners in providing your care. You will be asked for your consent for the student to be present or participate in your care.

We appreciate that this is challenging time and that you may be anxious about attending Homerton or about the care you will receive when you are with us. Whether you are attending for antenatal appointments, scans, during labour, birth or the early postnatal period, you will be met with dedicated professionals who will have the skills, resources and equipment, to provide a safe and caring environment for you and your baby.

Maternity care is essential and has been developed over many years to reduce complications in pregnant women and babies. We follow Public Health England infection prevention and control guidance stringently, use appropriate PPE and have made significant changes to both the environment of the hospital and visiting arrangements promote social distancing. It is therefore vital that you continue to see us for all planned care.

It is particularly important that you do not delay seeking help if you notice any emergency signs, such as significant changes in the baby’s movement, pain, swelling, redness, ache or tenderness in one leg, fluid leakage or bleeding, significant itching, heart palpitations, persistent headache, blurred vision, flashing lights or pain under the ribs. If anything listed occur, please call Delivery suite immediately on 0208 510 7351/7352 .

You can contact a midwife for advice or support via the Homerton Maternity Helpline;

0208 510 5955 from 10am - 6pm each day

or via email on huh-tr.maternityhelpline@nhs.net


Changes to having your baby with us from 1 June 2025

From 1 June 2025, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are temporarily capping bookings and will not be providing new maternity appointments for women and birthing people living outside of the North East London area.

We have seen a rise in people wanting to use our maternity services and this temporary cap has been put in place to ensure we can maintain safe, high-quality care.

 

Who is affected?

If you live outside the North East London area, (this does not include City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest), unfortunately we will not be able to provide you with maternity care unless there are exceptional circumstance due to medical complexity.

Who is not affected?

  • People within the North East London area. This means those who live in City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest are not affected.
  • Anyone who is currently having their maternity care with us are not affected.
  • People who have been referred to us for complex pregnancy or neonatal care are n ot affected.

Clinical exceptions

We will continue to accept referrals from doctors and maternity units for those who live outside of North East London with a medical condition requiring specialist input, which can only be provided at Homerton.

Alternative maternity services

If you live outside of North East London and are unable to book your pregnancy with us, please speak to your GP or contact your local maternity unit. Other maternity units in North East London remain open to new referrals. It is important to book your pregnancy care early to allow time for an appointment and screening tests.

 

FAQs

1. Why is Homerton Healthcare limiting maternity bookings for out-of-area patients?
We have experienced a steady rise in out-of-area maternity bookings, which now make up 16% of our total births. This restriction ensures we can maintain safe, high-quality care. 

2. Who counts as “out of area”?
Homerton Maternity provides care for families living within Hackney, City of London, and parts of south Waltham Forest. We can also support families choosing to come to us from the North East London area, which includes Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, and Redbridge. If you live outside of these areas, and you make a referral to our service, this will unfortunately be declined, unless you have a medical condition requiring specialist input which can only be provided at Homerton.

3. I’m already booked at Homerton. Will this affect me?
No. If your booking has already been accepted, you can continue your care at Homerton as planned.

4. I have a high-risk pregnancy. Can I still be referred to Homerton?
Yes. We will continue to accept referrals from other areas made by your doctor or maternity team, particularly for complex pregnancies or neonatal care.

5. How long will the cap be in place?
The intention is that the cap would be implemented for an initial period of 12 months. How we will review this regularly, and if changes are made we will communicate this. 

6. Where else can I go for maternity care?
If you are affected, we recommend discussing your options with your GP or local maternity unit. Other maternity units in North East London are continuing to accept referrals. For more information, please visit: https://northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/service/maternity-services/

7. Who made this decision?
The decision was made jointly between Homerton Healthcare and NHS commissioners, based on capacity and safety considerations. This is to ensure we can provide families and babies the safest care possible.

8.Is there a cancellations list I can be added to?

We don’t currently keep a cancellations list.

Opening Times

 
 

 Telephone/ Email

Days

Opening hours

Maternity Helpline

&

Email

020 8510 5955

huh-tr.maternityhelpline@nhs.net

Every day

10am - 6pm

Antenatal Clinic

0208 510 7175

Monday - Friday

8am - 4pm

Delivery Suite

0208 510 7351 /7352

Every day

24 hours

Templar Ward

0208 510 7541 /7561

Every day

24 hours

Community Midwifery

0208 510 5761

Monday - Sunday

9am - 4pm

Fetal Medicine

0208 510 7291 /7597

Monday - Friday

9am - 5pm

Philosophy of care

Our philosophy of care is based on respect for pregnancy as a state of health and childbirth as a normal, healthy, physiological process. 

Pregnancy and birth are very significant events in a woman’s life and that of her family. The care we provide will aim to respect the diversity of women’s needs and the variety of personal and cultural values that women, families and communities bring to these events. Care will be continuous, personal and responsive to a woman’s health, social and emotional needs.

We aim to keep women informed at all times of the progress of their pregnancy and likewise any issues that arise during their care. We will encourage decision-making as a shared responsibility between the woman, her family and her care givers. To facilitate this, care provision must include evidence based information, education and counselling support to enable the woman to make informed choices.

How to Contact Us

Sarah Latham
Director of Midwifery & Lead for Neonatal Nursing
Email: sarah.latham11@nhs.net

Arona Ahmed
Deputy DIrector of Midwifery & Lead for Neonatal Nursing
Email: arona.ahmed1@nhs.net

Natalie Brown
Named Midwife for Safeguarding
Email: nataliebrown4@nhs.net

Sarah Read
Matron for Community Midwifery and Antenatal Clinic
Email: sarah.read20@nhs.net

Paula Griffin
Professional Midwifery Advocate
Tel: 0208 510 7404
Email: paula.griffin1@nhs.net

Senior Midwives
A senior midwife is available 24 hours a day and is contactable via the hospital switchboard 0208 510 5555. 

CQC rating

The Maternity Department overall is rated ‘Good’.  

 

  • In the most recent report from 2023, the rating for the ‘well led’ category moved from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’.

 

  • The ‘safe’ rating from maternity moved from ‘Good’ to ‘Requires Improvement’. The primary reason for the change in rating is due to lack of interface between the maternity and Trust IT systems. We were aware of this issue and had been working to address this prior to the inspection and will continue to work on this with our external providers. The maternity unit will be transitioning over to Badgernet for an end to end digital system, this will be launching at the end of 2024.

  

We want to assure you that that the quality of care provided to you and your baby remains of the usual high standard. The inspection team acknowledged improvements made since the last inspection and identified a number of good / outstanding practices.

 

As we have always been, the maternity team are committed to providing outstanding care to our families.

 

The overall Homerton Hospital site rating is now rated as outstanding! We are extremely proud of this recognition and acknowledgment of the quality of services we provide to all patients.

 

If you have any questions relating to this statement; please contact us using the following email address: huh-tr.HUH.Senior.Midwives@nhs.net

Baby Buddy- free app to help parents give their child the best start in life

Baby Buddy 2.0 is a free app from the parenting charity Best Beginnings. It’s designed to help parents give their child the best start in life, with bite sized information and advice from pregnancy, to birth, to their babies first year.

It has birth planning tools, a personal child health record for growth, vaccinations, appointments and other development milestones and daily personalised content for mums, dads and non-birthing co-parents. With information available 24/7, the Baby Buddy app echoes midwife advice and guidance, endorsed by health professionals* and approved by the NHS. With personal care and support plans, parents can make informed choices about care for themselves and their babies, improving experience from pregnancy to babies first birthday. 

Parents in North East London, can now access extra localised information from their local maternity unit. When joining the app, parents due to give birth at The Royal London Hospital, Newham University Hospital, Homerton Healthcare Hospital, Whipps Cross Hospital and Queen’s Hospital, will have access to additional information regarding their maternity unit. To download or for more information visit the Baby Buddy website: https://www.bestbeginnings.org.uk/baby-buddy

* Baby Buddy is endorsed by Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association, Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists, British Society of Paediatric Dentistry and Faculty of Public Health. 

FAQs - your Baby Buddy questions answered

  • What sort of information is on there?
    Loads of bite sized advice and information to take you from pregnancy through to birth and into your babies first year. There is information for dads, a space to create your personal care and support plan. You can look up information about local maternity services and keep a record of your babies’ growth, vaccinations and developmental milestones.
  • Is it for me or for my baby?
    Both! And for other parents and care givers too.
  • Who can use the Baby Buddy app?
    Whether you’re a mum, dad, co-parent or caregiver, Baby Buddy gives you the knowledge, confidence and practical skills to look after your baby, giving them the best start in life. You can even add multiple children and pregnancies to your personalised account and share child records and create shared spaces with other users of the app.
  • I’m a dad, can I use it too?
    Yes. With personalised daily information for Dads from pregnancy until your baby is 1 year old. Information for dads and co-parents will be slightly different to mums but why not use it as a chance to share what you have learnt.
  • I’m a LGBTQ+ parent, can I use it too?
    Yes. Baby Buddy have widened their support for LGBTQ+ parents with a new personalised daily information journey for Mums with a female partner and Mums with a non-binary partner. Users can select the pronouns that Baby Buddy uses to refer to your partner. The team at Baby Buddy are working hard to continue improving Baby Buddy to be as inclusive as possible.
  • Do I have to sign up with my personal details?
    Parents will need to sign up with a preferred name, email address and postcode for localised information.You can also create a Baby Buddy account using your NHS login. NHS login allows you to access different digital health and care services using the same account. You can read more about it here: www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/nhs-log-in/ Be assured data is stored safely and securely and not shared or sold to any third parties. You can read Baby Buddy’s full privacy notice here: www.babybuddyapp.co.uk/privacy-notice
  • Is it free?
    Yes! Baby Buddy 2.0 is free to download, with no adverts, and no in-app purchases. The app is developed by Best Beginnings; a charity committed to empowering parents, co-parents and caregivers.
  • How do I get it?
    The Baby Buddy App is available, free, through Google Play, the App Store and the NHS Apps library.
  • Is it in other languages?
    Baby Buddy is currently only available in English, however designed with a literacy age of 9 means it’s easily accessible to those whose first language may not be English.

eRedbook (your electronic child health record)

To find out more about and register for the eRedbook (your electronic child health record) visit this website:  https://www.eredbook.org.uk/


The eRedbook app allows you to access your child's growth charts and health records such as immunisation history from the NHS wherever you are.

 

Starting during your pregnancy, and right up until your child is five, eRedbook will post age-appropriate guidance that is clinically validated by the NHS to help you keep you and your baby healthy. 
 

Use eRedbook’s interactive charts to keep track of your child’s weight and height. Measurements taken by your health visitor will also appear in the eRedbook if it is available from the NHS in your area. You can create a secure photographic record of your child as they reach developmental milestones as a keepsake for yourself.

 

You can choose to share your child’s record with your partner and other carers, enabling you to work together to keep your child healthy. Records can be shared as read only or read/write, meaning other carers can contribute to the record with your permission.

Antenatal classes

During pregnancy, you will have time to think about your future as a parent and to consider some options for yourself and your baby, including decisions about the birth and about feeding your baby. We provide parent education classes to help you prepare for the birth and for parenthood. Please click the following link for details

https://www.homerton.nhs.uk/parentcraft-sessions

NHS maternity care entitlement and charges

Some women may be asked to pay for their care. However, maternity care will not be refused or delayed for any woman, whether or not you are able to pay for your care.

Where women are eligible for charges, we can arrange affordable payment plans according to your circumstances. It is very important for yours and your baby’s health that you receive care during your pregnancy, birth and afterwards.

If you are worried about NHS maternity care charges, you can view information about whether this would apply to you via the Maternity Action website or by calling their maternity rights advice helpline for independent legal advice on: 0808 802 0057 (Freephone) Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri 10 am – 1 pm.

You can also contact our maternity helpline on 0208 510 5955 10am - 6pm daily to speak confidentially to a midwife, or email our consultant midwife to discuss this via tamsinbicknell@nhs.net

Please do not let worries about charges put you off seeking maternity care. Maternity care will never be refused or delayed for any woman, whether or not you are able to pay for your care.

Self-Referral forms


Changes to having your baby with us from 1 June 2025

From 1 June 2025, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are temporarily capping bookings and will not be providing new maternity appointments for women and birthing people living outside of the North East London area.

We have seen a rise in people wanting to use our maternity services and this temporary cap has been put in place to ensure we can maintain safe, high-quality care.

 

Who is affected?

If you live outside the North East London area, (this does not include City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest), unfortunately we will not be able to provide you with maternity care unless there are exceptional circumstance due to medical complexity.

Who is not affected?

  • People within the North East London area. This means those who live in City & Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge, and Waltham Forest are not affected.
  • Anyone who is currently having their maternity care with us are not affected.
  • People who have been referred to us for complex pregnancy or neonatal care are n ot affected.

Clinical exceptions

We will continue to accept referrals from doctors and maternity units for those who live outside of North East London with a medical condition requiring specialist input, which can only be provided at Homerton.

Alternative maternity services

If you live outside of North East London and are unable to book your pregnancy with us, please speak to your GP or contact your local maternity unit. Other maternity units in North East London remain open to new referrals. It is important to book your pregnancy care early to allow time for an appointment and screening tests.

 

FAQs

1. Why is Homerton Healthcare limiting maternity bookings for out-of-area patients?
We have experienced a steady rise in out-of-area maternity bookings, which now make up 16% of our total births. This restriction ensures we can maintain safe, high-quality care. 

2. Who counts as “out of area”?
Homerton Maternity provides care for families living within Hackney, City of London, and parts of south Waltham Forest. We can also support families choosing to come to us from the North East London area, which includes Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, and Redbridge. If you live outside of these areas, and you make a referral to our service, this will unfortunately be declined, unless you have a medical condition requiring specialist input which can only be provided at Homerton.

3. I’m already booked at Homerton. Will this affect me?
No. If your booking has already been accepted, you can continue your care at Homerton as planned.

4. I have a high-risk pregnancy. Can I still be referred to Homerton?
Yes. We will continue to accept referrals from other areas made by your doctor or maternity team, particularly for complex pregnancies or neonatal care.

5. How long will the cap be in place?
The intention is that the cap would be implemented for an initial period of 12 months. How we will review this regularly, and if changes are made we will communicate this. 

6. Where else can I go for maternity care?
If you are affected, we recommend discussing your options with your GP or local maternity unit. Other maternity units in North East London are continuing to accept referrals. For more information, please visit: https://northeastlondon.icb.nhs.uk/service/maternity-services/

7. Who made this decision?
The decision was made jointly between Homerton Healthcare and NHS commissioners, based on capacity and safety considerations. This is to ensure we can provide families and babies the safest care possible.

8.Is there a cancellations list I can be added to?

We don’t currently keep a cancellations list.


Antenatal self-referral form

Homebirth enquiry form

Warning
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that if you have a straightforward pregnancy and have not had any complications in any previous births, you may want to choose to give birth at home. If this is an option that you would like to consider, please complete this homebirth enquiry form and the Homerton Homebirth team will contact you as soon as possible. Please note the homebirth team only cover the City & Hackney and a small part of Waltham Forest.

If you do not fulfil the criteria above we will arrange for you to speak to our Consultant Midwife to discuss your options. If you haven't heard from us within two weeks, please repeat the enquiry form or contact Homerton Maternity helpline at 0208 510 5955.

Thank you

Details

Note: Questions marked by * are mandatory