Maternity care facilities

This Health Building Note covers the policy and service context, and planning and design considerations for maternity care facilities. It covers the following: 1 antenatal clinics, early pregnancy assessment units, pregnancy (fetal and maternal) assessment units; 2 birthing facilities and in-patient areas, including the requirements for the routine care of neonates; 3 obstetric theatres.It covers facilities provided in: 1 midwife-led units, often known as birth centres which may be located alongside a consultant-led unit on an acute hospital site, co-located with a community healthcare facility, or exist as a standalone centre; 2 consultant-led units. The guidance recognises that the services and facilities provision will be different between CLUs and MLUs. It also recognises that MLUs located alongside a CLU may have differences in provision to those that are separate