Britain's maternity services crisis two thirds now rated 'dangerous' or 'poor'

Nearly two-thirds of NHS maternity units in England are operating with dangerous or poor standards of care, new research reveals.

The figures follow a string of devastating maternity scandals across the UK which have led to hundreds of avoidable mother and baby deaths.

Experts say the figures, released today highlight the fact that despite numerous costly inquiries and reports Britain's maternity services continue to fail.

The CQC rates units into four categories, Inadequate, Requires Improvement, Good or Outstanding. The study found that:

13.5 percent of units were deemed to have dangerously poor care, serious safety risks and had been put under enforcement action which meant they were rated 'inadequate'.

49.6 percent of units, regulators found that standards of safety, staffing or training were not met so they 'required improvement'.

35 percent of units were 'good" meaning that they met expected standards, generally safe with effective care.

2 percent "outstanding' with exceptional care, best practice and an example for others.

The worst hit areas include:

London (16 underperforming units)

Greater Manchester (8 units)

North Yorkshire (7 units)

Kent and Essex (6 units each)

Experts say this is a dismal record for a service entrusted with safeguarding new life.

The figures follow a string of devastating maternity scandals across the UK which have led to hundreds of avoidable mother and baby deaths and harrowing NHS maternity scandals which have been blamed on toxic cultures, staff shortages, and ignored warnings.

At Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust, the Ockenden Review uncovered 201 avoidable baby deaths, 94 cases of brain injury, and nine maternal deaths over two decades. Investigators found that failures in care had become "normalised," with mothers denied Caesarean sections and babies starved of oxygen-leading to fatal or life-changing consequences.

In Nottingham, between 2010 and 2020, 46 babies suffered brain damage, 19 were stillborn, and 15 mothers and babies died after being let down by a "culture of fear." Senior midwives described how concerns about unsafe staffing and dangerous practices were repeatedly ignored.

At Basildon Hospital, now part of Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, a 2020 report revealed that six babies had been starved of oxygen, risking brain damage, while 27 stillbirths and 55 cases of babies born with cerebral palsy were linked to failures in care.

Scathing reports into East Kent Hospitals, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, and William Harvey Hospital in Ashford found a litany of clinical blunders-resulting in tragic, avoidable deaths. The hospital was slammed for "suboptimal" critical care and a refusal to acknowledge failings-one assessor bluntly called it "the worst I've ever seen."

At Basildon, relations between midwives and doctors were described as "dysfunctional." In Nottingham, a senior midwife blew the whistle on a "culture of fear," where frontline staff raising safety concerns were silenced.

At Luton and Dunstable Hospital, inspectors found chronic understaffing, unmanaged infection risks, and emergency equipment not being checked properly. Musgrove Park Hospital in Somerset had staff lacking essential training, poor triage risk assessments, and critical equipment shortages. Meanwhile, at Yeovil District Hospital, inspectors reported that staff were ill-equipped to protect vulnerable women and babies from harm.

Common themes that have emerged include poor teamwork, chronic understaffing, and a management culture concerned more about reputation than patient safety. In many cases deaths and injuries were not referred for investigation, problems were minimised, and grieving families were brushed off.

James Walker, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University of Leeds and former Clinical Director of the body that investigates maternity safety concerns - the Maternity Investigations at Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch - has called for a national task force to improve maternity services in England. He said: "These findings demonstrate that maternity services in England are failing to provide a safe birth environment for all women. We are failing to improve despite spending millions of pounds on inquiries."

He added: "We have had three major inquiries and another large inquiry pending, we wring hands and point fingers and say "we must improve," and a few pieces of work are done, but we need a national task force for improvement and implementing change. We owe this to mothers and babies."

James Titcombe, Chief Exec of Patient Safety Watch, said: "These figures confirm what too many families already know from personal tragedy - that unsafe maternity care is not limited to a few hospitals, but reflects a widespread and urgent national problem."

Mr Titcombe, who triggered the discovery of a major scandal in neonatal care at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust after the death of his baby son Joshua in November 2008, added: "After years of inquiries and promises of change, it is simply unacceptable that so many women and babies remain at risk. The cost of harm in maternity services is now around £4 billion a year - that's £126 every second. Just a fraction of that, invested upfront in safer care, could deliver transformational improvements. We urgently need a new national plan for maternity safety. Action is needed - and it's needed now."

Joshua Titcombe died after suffering pneumococcal septicaemia and a lung haemorrhage on November 5 2008, nine days after he was born at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria.

James refused to accept the initial explanations he and his wife were given by the Morecambe Bay NHS Trust for Joshua's death and made an official complaint about his treatment.

He got no apology from the Trust until nearly 17 months after the event. In March 2011 a police investigation into Joshua's death was launched. It later included the deaths of 18 other babies and two mothers at the hospital. There was also an independent investigation by Dr Bill Kirkup into the maternity unit. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman eventually investigated the way his complaints had been dealt with and made recommendations which Titcombe supported, "in particular the need for an honest and robust incident investigation following avoidable harm or death in the NHS" using techniques for which staff were properly trained.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

"Too many women are not receiving the safe, personalised and compassionate maternity care they deserve, but this government is determined to change that.

"This starts with listening to women and families to learn lessons, improve care and ensure mistakes are not repeated. We will support trusts to make rapid improvements through our Plan for Change and work closely with NHS England to train thousands more midwives to support women throughout their pregnancy and beyond, regardless of where they live."