URGENT action is needed to fix NHS maternity services as half of them are below standard, inspectors warn.
An audit by the Care Quality Commission found massive variation in mum-and-baby units but also “common areas of concern” across England.
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It rated 48 per cent of 131 inspections “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.
A shocking 65 per cent did not meet “good” safety standards.
Official figures show the number of women dying during pregnancy or shortly after the birth of their baby is at a 20-year high.
The CQC said many clinics do not properly report or learn from safety incidents.
Mums-to-be often face long delays due to short-staffing, it added, and their concerns are not always taken seriously.
Communication with families is not as good as it should be, either.
Nicola Wise, hospitals director at the CQC, said: “Although we’ve seen examples of good care and hardworking staff doing their best, we remain concerned that key issues continue to impact quality and safety.
“Disappointingly none of those issues are new.
“We cannot allow an acceptance of shortfalls that are not tolerated in other services.
“We must do more to ensure that poor care and preventable harm do not become normalised.”
The national review inspected all NHS maternity services that had not been visited and rated since 2021.
It said some failings could be fixed within hospitals but others would need more cash and action from the Government.
Scandals are not isolated incidents
The report said scandals at the East Kent hospitals and Shrewsbury and Telford were not isolated and families are being let down nationwide.
A review is already under way in Nottingham, which saw family outcry at a public meeting with the local hospital on Wednesday.
As a midwife, reading this report makes me both incredibly sad for every woman and family that hasn’t received the level of care they should
Gill Walton
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said maternity care is “one of the biggest issues that keeps me awake at night worrying.”
He said: “We’re keen to make sure that lessons are applied right across the country.
“We are determined to get this right.”
NHS chief midwifery officer, Kate Brintworth acknowledged at despite the “hard work of NHS staff”, maternity care “simply isn’t at the level” women should expect.
She said: “We know there is much more we need to do to drive up standards of care and build on improvements already made.
“We will continue to provide intensive support to the most challenged trusts and support a growth in the maternity workforce.”
Meanwhile, Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, called on the Government to work with NHS staff to resolve the problems, to build maternity services “we can all be proud of”.
She added: “As a midwife, reading this report makes me both incredibly sad for every woman and family that hasn’t received the level of care they should and for every midwife and maternity support worker trying to do their best in a system that they feel is broken.
“It also makes me angry that, despite all the evidence, little has been done to resolve these issues effectively.
“Wes Streeting has said that maternity safety keeps him awake at night – me too.
“So let’s work together – the Government and the RCM, with those delivering care – to make it better.”
MATERNITY CARE DECLINING FOR YEARS
A REPORT by the Care Quality Commission last year found maternity care has been on the slide
It said patient experience has shown a “concerning decline”.
Fewer women are getting the help they needed, compared to five years ago, the 2023 report said.
Victoria Vallance, from the CQC, said: “These results show far too many women feel their care could have been better.
“This reveals a concerning decline over time.”
The watchdog, which polled 21,000 women who gave birth in February 2022, found 80 per cent were happy with services but said there were notable declines since 2017.
Mothers reported being less likely to always get help during or after childbirth or to be asked about their mental health.
