18 May 2026: changes to maternity referrals
Since February, we have not been accepting new maternity referrals from outside of the hospital's catchment area, specifically, City and Hackney.
Even though demand for new maternity referrals remain high, we will now be accepting a limited number of new referrals from boroughs that border our catchment area in addition to those from City and Hackney. This includes people who live within North East London (Waltham Forest, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking, Havering, Redbridge) and people who live within North Central London (Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Islington).
The maternity team will be continually reviewing the numbers of new referrals to ensure that safety is maintained throughout this period. This may mean that some new maternity referrals will not be accepted, even if they are from people who live in the boroughs listed above. This will make sure that the number of births in our maternity unit remains manageable within existing resources, and we can continue to provide safe,high-quality and personalised care for our local communities,and for those who need specialist care.
We are very proud of the care provided in our maternity and neonatal units, and we are committed to supporting as many people as possible to have their babies with us. These changes will be in place for the next three months at least. We will review them on an ongoing basis, and we'll share any updates on this page.
If you are currently booked with Homerton for your maternity care, you will not be impacted by these changes.
Exceptions for people who require specialist care
We will continue to accept referrals for people who require specialist care that they are unable to receive at their local maternity unit. This includes people with a pre-existing complex medical history, and those who require specialist care due to previous complex pregnancies or births. We are only able to accept referrals from people who fall into the criteria below, who cannot receive this care at their local unit.
Specialist care includes:
- people who require maternal medicine specialist care
- people previously cared for by the Homerton bereavement team
- people with complex social history requiring specialist care, including requests by partner agencies, drug and alcohol services, perinatal mental health teams or social care
- inpatients at the ELFT Mother and Baby Unit
- people known to the antenatal screening team or receiving care from Homerton Hospital for infectious diseases or haemoglobinopathies
- people requiring Homerton Fetal Medicine Unit
With regards to maternal medicine, it is important to note that there are maternal medicine networks across the country, including London, which allows women and birthing people who have a range of complex pre-existing medical conditions to be looked after appropriately no matter where they book.
If you are unsure whether your history requires specialist care from Homerton, please make sure to include this information in your referral form and our teams will review your information carefully before responding.
Other exceptions
Anyone who is anticipated to require care from our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will continue be accepted in line with national and pan-London guidance, regardless of where they live. This will be arranged by the woman or birthing person’s maternity team at the time the support is required.
We are unable to accept new maternity referrals from people if they have already booked their maternity care at another hospital, unless they live within City & Hackney or South Waltham Forest. The only exception to this is those who require specialist care, as listed above.
Please note, if your maternity referral has not been accepted, we will not be able to accept any repeat referrals later in your pregnancy.
Alternative maternity services
If you are unable to book your pregnancy with us, please speak to your GP or contact your local maternity unit as soon as possible. Other maternity units across London and surrounding counties are open to new referrals. It is important to book your pregnancy care early to allow time for appointments and screening tests.
Self-refer to book at your local maternity unit
Book your pregnancy with Royal London Hospital, Whipps Cross Hospital, or Newham Hospital .
Book your pregnancy with Queen’s Hospital .
Book your pregnancy in North Central London (Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, Islington) .
We will still be accepting new referrals from people who live in City & Hackney and some areas of South Waltham Forest. Please see the London Maternity Providers map for details of the catchment area.
We will be able to accept a limited number of new referrals from boroughs within North East London and North Central London. This includes: Waltham Forest, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking, Havering, Redbridge, Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey, and Islington. The maternity team will be continually reviewing the numbers of new referrals to ensure that safety is maintained throughout this period.This may mean that some new maternity referrals will not be accepted, even if they are from people who live in the boroughs listed.
We are still unable to accept referrals from people outside of the above boroughs, unless they require specialist care that they cannot receive at their local maternity unit.
Please see the London Maternity Providers map for details of the catchment areas.
In recent years, our maternity service has experienced an increase in maternity bookings and complex births, despite a national decline in the birth rate. These temporary changes will help make sure that our maternity team can support pregnant people and their babies in the local area, as well as those needing specialist care, by providing the right care and support within the capacity of our existing service.
Anyone who would like their referral appealed should contact our Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) . We will review the appeal with the maternity service and consider the referral against the agreed clinical and social criteria. We will discuss directly with the specialist teams, including Maternal Medicine and Fetal Medicine, where needed. We will then provide an outcome to the woman or birthing person.
In circumstances where a woman or birthing person feels there is additional clinical information that needs to be considered (outside of the information captured on the maternity self-referral form), an appeal will be accepted and reviewed via the same process.
Anyone who has their referral declined will be advised to contact their GP or local maternity unit as soon possible. Other maternity units across London and surrounding counties remain open to new referrals. It is important to book your pregnancy care early to allow time for appointments and screening tests.
People who are currently booked with Homertonfor their maternity care will not be impacted by these changes.
We advise people to contact their GP or local maternity unit as soon as they find out they are pregnant, or as soon as possible. Other maternity units across London and surrounding counties remain open to new referrals. It is important for people to book their pregnancy care early to allow time for appointments and screening tests.
These new changes will be in place for the next three months. We will review them on an ongoing basis, and we’ll share updates on our website.