Campaigners were blocked from asking questions about the ongoing suspension of home births in Gloucestershire at a meeting.

Home births were suspended in the county in November after safety concerns were raised by staff.

This decision has added to the wider concerns around maternity services in the county with maternity unit in Cheltenham still closed.

The Aveta birth centre at Cheltenham General Hospital was closed temporarily in 2022 due to staff shortages and a need to ensure safety, according to hospital bosses.

However, despite Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since recruiting the equivalent of 25 full-time midwives they say a review will be conducted before any decision is made on reopening the Cheltenham service.

A group of women and professionals are challenging the trust’s decision to suspend home births.

Half a dozen attended the health overview and scrurtiny committee at Gloucestershire County Council but were blocked from asking questions.

During the meeting Chief Nurse Matt Holdaway told councillors that they did not make the decision “on a whim”.

“We made the decision to pause home births the week before, the prevention of future deaths report came from the Manchester case where a woman and her baby tragically died,” he said.

“We must make sure that the debate that’s going on nationally is taken into account so that we can provide the safest care so that women are able to give what is their right to do so safely and support our colleagues who need to deliver care at home safely.”

Cllr Julia Gooch (Progressive Independent, Newent and Taynton) raised the lack maternity services in the Forest.

“Obviously in the Forest of Dean we’ve got no birthing unit anymore, so I think it’s quite important for the people, the mothers in my district, to have that opportunity to give birth at home,” she said.

Hospital chiefs said there will be a review and they will report back on birthing units, including the ongoing closure in Cheltenham.

She asked for assurance the decision had been taken with the best interests of the women who are going to give birth.

Mr Holdaway said: “A number of women are hugely disappointed by the decision,”

“I don’t want to belittle that in any way, shape or form, but I, as chief nurse, need to make sure that the care we’re providing is as safe as it possibly can be.”

Reform UK Councillor Stuart Graham (Mitcheldean) asked if the members of the public present could be allowed to ask a question.

Committee chairman, Liberal Democrat Iain Dobbie (Charlton Park and College), said allowing questions would set a precedent.

“We have had a presentation recently from a national representative on how scrutiny committees are to be best held,” he said.

“She said very cleary it is not best practice for scrutiny committees to accept questions from members of the public.”

As they left, one of the campaigners questioned how the suspensions could be deemed temporary without an end date.

“Temporary suspensions need to have an end date or they are not temporary,” she said.