The funding, announced by Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter, will see £24,000 used for a new birthing pool – which can help make labour less stressful and painful – at Oswestry Midwife Led Unit.

The rest of the funding awarded to The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust will provide a variety of improvements to the birthing environments at the Midwife Led Units at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, and in Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Oswestry.

Improvements will include additional safety equipment, labour and birth aids, mood lighting, and relaxing music, which will enhance the experience of maternity care for women from Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales who give birth at the Trust’s units.

Cathy Smith, Head of Midwifery at the Trust and Deputy Centre Chief for the Women and Children’s Centre, said: “This funding announcement is fantastic news and will provide a number of benefits for women being cared for at our Midwife Led Units. I’m particularly thrilled that we will be able to install a new water birth pool at Oswestry, which will put women in the fortunate position in Shropshire of being able to access birthing pools in Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry, as well as in their own homes.

“In addition to the new birthing pool, the funding will also enhance the birthing environments of our other Midwife Led Units by providing additional safety equipment, labour and birth aids, mood lighting, relaxing music, and other improvements.

“Each of these improvements will help to enhance the experience women have at our Midwife Led Units in the county.”

Trusts were invited to bid for a slice of funding in November.

The funding will provide improvements in addition to a £28 million new Women and Children’s Unit being built at the Princess Royal Hospital and improved Midwife Led Units at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Ludlow, which are all due to open in 2014.