Beacon Sites

Preston Birth Centre

Lewisham and Greenwich

Sandwell and West Birmingham

The Birth Centre Beacon Sites project supports and promotes the development and growth of units run by midwives delivering a social model of care. A pilot project ‘Beacon Sites in England’ was launched in 2018, and three maternity services were awarded for having:

  • A significant percentage of births in freestanding and/or alongside midwifery units;
  • A clear philosophy in place to provide personalized care, promote physiological birth and support women, their partners and the wider family;
  • Systems for midwifery development, multi-disciplinary learning and case review;
  • A desire to share learning with other midwifery units about vision, set up and on-going organisation, what has and hasn’t worked, etc;
  • Willingness to host visits from other midwives wishing to develop birth centre services, and arrange placements for student midwives and midwives wishing to develop their skills;
  • Participation in research relating to midwifery units and national audit;
  • Service user involvement, partnership working and strategic development of midwifery care across the trust/board;
  • Positive communication and marketing.

Congratulations to the 2018 Beacon Sites in England: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

If you would like more information about starting a Beacon Sites programme in your country, contact the Midwifery Unit Network Team.

Visit our resources page and MU Standards page to view research and guidelines related to Midwifery Units.