The first Birmingham maternity hospital was established in 1842 to reduce the number of women and children dying needlessly from puerperal fever and childbirth related infections.[1] The Birmingham and Midland Hospital for Women was established with eight beds at Showell Green in Sparkhill in 1871.[2] It moved to a converted farmhouse on the Stratford Road in 1878, to a purpose-built facility on Showell Green Lane in 1905[2] and then to the current modern facility in Edgbaston in 1968.[3] Work on a new gynaecology unit and expanded maternity unit started in February 2015.[3]