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. 1 The Care Quality Commission said it sees the same problems in maternity units nationwide Credit: Alamy 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.
Read more on the NHS HIGH ALERT Children at risk of killer infections as vaccination rates plummet, NHS warns DOC WON'T SEE YOU NHS crisis deepens as GPs slash hours by 10% amid soaring waiting lists 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. Most read in Health DISGRACEFUL My son died in 'hell on Earth' hospital where he was 'raped and over-medicated' SHOCK Student wrongly t.