How are evolving clinical needs impacting the future of maternity services?

Hosted by Gareth Banks, director and national healthcare lead at AHR, the episode brings together: Sandra Reading, associate director at Turner & Townsend and former midwife, and Victoria Shepherdson, associate director at AHR with over two decades of experience in designing women’s and children’s healthcare environments.

Together, they reflect on how maternity care, and the environments that support them, are evolving to meet the changing needs and expectations of those accessing services. Increasing complexity in pregnancy and birth is placing new demands on healthcare services and the way spaces are planned and delivered.

Unlike other areas of healthcare, maternity care supports people through a personal and often life-changing journey. It requires spaces that are clinically robust while also promoting wellbeing and supporting personal choice. By creating spaces that put people first, we can deliver clinical excellence for everyone involved in pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.

At AHR, we have supported NHS Trusts across the UK for many decades, with a long history of delivering women’s, children’s and maternity projects that prioritise safety, dignity and staff wellbeing. Our most recent completion, the Countess of Chester Hospital Women and Children’s Unit, replaces a RAAC-affected building and now provides modern maternity, neonatal and paediatric care for Chester and the surrounding communities, with the first patients already welcomed.

We are also currently supporting Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust with its hospital transformation project, which places women’s choice at the heart of the maternity services offered within the new hospital.

From midwife-led units to consultant-led care, and from natural births to planned caesareans, maternity services must accommodate a wide range of pathways. Meeting these needs, while maintaining clinical excellence and overcoming the spatial pressures maternity care presents, is a real challenge.

The conversation highlights how traditional models are giving way to more adaptable, human-centred solutions. This includes flexible room clusters, calming domestic-style interiors and welcoming spaces that support partners, families and different cultural practices. These approaches not only promote wellbeing and offer a sense of control but also help services run more efficiently.

Since this podcast was recorded, NHS England has published it’s Maternity and Neonatal Infrastructure Review which has revealed the scale of challenges facing maternity and neonatal infrastructure across England, underlining the pressing need for investment and modernisation.

Listen to the full episode below to hear how we can reimagine maternity care spaces for the future.

A note on abbreviations used in the episode:

PFI - Private Finance Initiative

LDRP – Labour, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum

HBN - Health Building Notes

Download the transcript here.

You can subscribe to our podcast series featuring a wide variety of topics, available on your preferred podcast platform.