This is a local matter. It is for primary care trusts to commission services to meet the needs of the communities that they serve. I am advised that Essex Rivers healthcare national health service trust has announced a temporary change to the maternity unit it runs at the Fryatt hospital in Harwich.
This means that from 1 June, midwives will be based at the unit from 7.30 am-9 pm, seven-days-a-week, rather than the current round-the-clock basis.
Outside of those times, women will still be able to deliver at the unit by contacting the on-call midwife. This is a common maternity service model used by the trust at its other sites such as Halstead hospital.