NHS maternity care scandals are 'not isolated to one or two trusts' and are happening nationwide

The Care Quality Commission has recovered babe decease oregon wounded incidents were not learned from arsenic Health Secretary Wes Streeting said it was a "cause for nationalist shame"

NHS maternity attraction scandals are not isolated to 1 oregon 2 trusts and are happening crossed the country, the regulator has found.

Baby decease oregon wounded incidents are poorly managed and not learned from, according to the Care Quality Commission, which raised concerns "about the imaginable normalising of superior harm successful maternity".

The CQC's 16-month probe targeted maternity units not inspected and rated since March 2021 – those it had been slightest disquieted about. Two-thirds of the services either 'require improvement' oregon are 'inadequate' for the information of mothers and babies. The regulator called for "increased nationalist action" and ring-fenced concern to tackle the shortfalls.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “These findings are origin for nationalist shame. Women merit amended - childbirth should not beryllium thing they fearfulness oregon look backmost connected with trauma.”

The CQC identified problems including unit shortages, problems with equipment, including telephone bells not moving and mediocre symptom management. It besides recovered delays to exigency Caesareans, due to the fact that operating theatres were unavailable, arsenic good arsenic cramped, noisy and overheated wards. Overall, 48% were rated arsenic inadequate oregon requiring betterment with astir a 4th receiving a little wide standing than erstwhile past

inspected. On the azygous contented of safety, 65% were judged to beryllium failing.

NHS maternity attraction has been nether accrued scrutiny successful caller years aft respective high-profile inquiries, specified arsenic the Ockenden Review into much than 200 babe deaths astatine the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, and the probe into maternity services successful East Kent. The study said: "Many of the factors evident astatine East Kent and Shrewsbury and Telford are much widespread. Key issues proceed to interaction prime and information - and disappointingly, nary of them are new."

Nicola Wise, manager of secondary and specializer attraction astatine the CQC, said: "Sadly, our latest maternity inspection programme has further evidenced the request for urgent enactment with continued problems indicating that the failings uncovered successful caller high-profile investigations are not isolated to conscionable a fistful of idiosyncratic trusts.

"Although we've seen examples of bully attraction and seen hardworking, compassionate unit doing their best, we stay acrophobic that cardinal issues proceed to interaction prime and safety. Disappointingly nary of those issues are new."

Other issues highlighted were inconsistencies successful the mode information incidents were monitored and recorded, including large emergencies specified arsenic important nonaccomplishment of humor and interior injuries recorded arsenic causing debased oregon nary harm. The study highlighted atrocious enactment and absorption creating blasted cultures and debased morale. Of the 131 units inspected arsenic portion of a nationalist programme betwixt August 2022 and December 2023, astir fractional (48%) were rated arsenic requires betterment oregon inadequate. Only 4% were classed arsenic outstanding and 48% were rated arsenic good.

NHS England’s main midwifery serviceman Kate Brintworth said: “Despite the hard enactment of NHS staff, we cognize that, for ample numbers of women and families, NHS maternity attraction simply isn’t astatine the level they should expect and determination is simply a batch to bash to improve. We cognize determination is overmuch much we request to bash to thrust up standards of attraction and physique connected improvements already made, and we volition proceed to supply intensive enactment to the astir challenged trusts and enactment a maturation successful the maternity workforce.”