NHS leaders warn maternity care organisation puts safety at risk and is not fit for purpose

Pressure on smaller units

The NHS Alliance says smaller maternity units in rural and coastal areas face particular pressures. Units delivering 1,500 to 2,000 babies a year might need to close, it said.

Some smaller services struggle to maintain safe staffing for round-the-clock care, including midwives and consultants such as obstetricians. The Alliance said staffing shortages are among the issues a government taskforce on neonatal and maternity care should address, alongside rising C-section numbers.

Leaders call for change

Matthew Hopkins, director of the NHS Alliance’s acute and ambulance network, said difficult decisions lay ahead, including consolidating services to make care safer and more sustainable. He said it was time to reconsider how maternity services should be organised across England and where they should be located.

Concerns over continuity

A woman quoted in the report said closing smaller units could disrupt continuity of care. She said women might not see the same healthcare team during their antenatal and post-natal experience. The account also points to broader pressure on maternity services, with staffing levels and the safety of care among the concerns raised by NHS leaders.